


All For a Girl

by Mem0ry



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angsty teenager hormones ensue, F/M, Female Uchiha Sasuke, He doesn't exactly want to be Hokage, In a sense, Naruto gets an upgrade, Naruto is cheeky, Naruto isn't entirely an idiot, Naruto loves Satsuki, Naruto's a bit meaner than canon, Satsuki loves Naruto, Starts after Wave, The Uzumaki have a past, There's lemons by the way, first story on this site, just read the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 62,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mem0ry/pseuds/Mem0ry
Summary: When two people go through a near-death scenario, they'll often feel attached to one another after that. Well, who would have thought that the tension between two of the most important Genin in Konoha would rise even more after such an experience? Follow the two as they try and juggle their feelings while still desperately carving paths to their ambitions.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 43
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, enjoy the story I guess.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Each Jinch** **ūriki will have a special ability depending on their** **Bijū.**

* * *

Love is fickle.

Anyone can feel it but few are capable of having it returned. So many can do things for love, a justification for a more often than not unreasonable action. You can label it as a type of sickness but anyone who's never experienced heartache won't agree. A sickness that hits you all at once, only growing worse with time.

And so, that is what has led to the current happenings of the elemental nations; a story of odd feeling that led to what two inexperienced teens label as love.

One of our teens was a boy. His name, is Uzumaki Naruto. He is a person who has sought the same thing for the entirety of his short life; acknowledgement. When he was young, he was ignored by his orphanage matron. When he left the orphanage, he was shunned by his village.

But, when he came to the academy he found someone who gave him their attention. A girl.

That's not to say it was positive attention, it was quite negative as a matter of fact. But it was attention... and the blonde relished it. And so, he did anything he could to keep that attention.

For the next seven years of schooling with this girl he would do anything and everything to gain her attention. Whether it were; making fun of her hair, challenging her, calling her names, saying he was better, he would do whatever he had to.

And despite his constant failure, she could never make him stay away. And so, when he did not leave, she accepted it as a constant of her life. And then, her family was massacred and she became an orphan just like him.

And while everyone began to treat her as though she was glass and trying to work their way into her favor, he stayed the same; calling her names, making fun of her names, challenging her...

So she began to like it.

Because while Naruto latched onto her for her acknowledgement, she latched onto him for his lack thereof. The two formed a strange kinship; a rivalry.

This rivalry progressed for the entirety of their schooling years and verified itself as something that would not easily go away. They then gave each other their first kiss despite neither being willing nor wanting.

And like the kindling for a campfire, it laid the foundation of what was to come.

The two were complete opposite ends of the spectrum; one the village pariah and the other the village's new besotted princess. And while Naruto wanted the attention, she loathed it. So when the two were put on a team together, you could see it as the veritable rocks surrounding the kindling.

Their rival only increased in it's fervor, Naruto constantly trying to show her up and her enjoying the consistency of his challenging.

And then, Naruto got stronger. It was not some progressive thing nor a spontaneous thing. It just _happened_. And so when his strength grew, so did their rivalry. And the blonde she had always seen as a constant changed.

This girls name was Uchiha Satsuki.

She was the last loyal member of her clan and easily the most sought after Genin of Konoha. But she wasn't interested in these things; only in her vengeance. But slowly, like rising water, the blonde was making his way up her list of priorities.

And then when they were put on a team, his position grew higher, becoming second to only her brother. Because while her brother was like the night sky, always there and never leaving; Naruto was the stars that showed her the darkness was not the only thing out there.

Yet, it wasn't until the first time he beat her in a spar that he became more evident; like a smog clearing away to show what it had hidden.

And it became like a game, one of them would push and then the other would push back and it became a constant again. Satsuki found herself falling back into the comfort of the constant and the night sky began to get a lot less noticeable.

And then, they had their first C-rank mission. It had been seemingly unimportant until their teacher had been incapacitated and the two found themselves practically alone, their third teammate barely worth mentioning.

Later in that mission, Satsuki found herself trapped in a sphere of ice and needles stabbing her every which way. And then there he was, dashing into the sphere and taking what would have been a lethal blow.

Without any care for himself he ran to her rescue and ever so briefly; he was more bright and important than the entire night sky. So, it was only fair that she return the favor. And when all went black, she could so vividly remember the sadness on his face.

And when she woke, the first thing she saw was his smile. And while it was far too bright, it was equally infectious.

That mission changed her, awakening her Sharingan seemed almost like an afterthought to fact that they had saved each other's lives.

After all, this was only the beginning of a beautiful story.

* * *

"Satsuki-chan! We should totally do more cool combo ideas! Like, I do my shadow clone thing and then you do a henge and then when they think it's a clone it's like POW!" The blonde enunciated his words with a thrust fist. "Uchiha to the face!"

"That doesn't even make sense." The ravenette replied as the blonde groaned in dismay.

Currently, the group were walking to the Hokage tower through the village and the young Uzumaki had not stopped spouting off ideas of combo attacks. Each of which was run by Satsuki, each of which included shadow clones, and each of which was shot down.

"It means like you appear and punch 'em in the face. Or maybe kick? Oh! You could spit out that huge fireball!" He exclaimed with exuberance, the lone Uchiha giving him a flat look at his words. "Alright, alright. Don't gotta go all broody on me." The girl scowled at his words as Naruto snickered.

"I do not brood."

"You mope!" Their teacher chimed in, saying his piece on the subject which resulted in his dark-haired student giving him a fierce glare, shoulder length hair flicking around.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, I just had an awesome idea!" Naruto exclaimed with a big smile and wide eyes.

"Did it hurt?" The man replied nearly instantly, his eye flickering away from his book to catch the sole male of his team pout for a moment.

"A little!" The Uzumaki replied, the Uchiha snorting and the pinkette to his side smiling slightly. "You remember that thing that me and Satsuki-chan did to Zabuza? You know, with the shadow clone henge thing?"

"Quite well Naruto." The silver-haired Jōnin replied.

"That kinda got me thinking, yes that hurt too." He snapped, seeing the man's mask twitch to say the words. This time, the pinkette giggled and ravenette gave said third teammate a glare unseen by the blonde. "What if I did like a shadow clone shuriken thing? Like how I do my clones but a bunch of shuriken instead?"

"You just described the Shuriken Shadow Clone jutsu, Naruto." All three students looked at the man in surprise. "Sandaime-sama created it. I'm sure if you asked nice enough he would give you a scroll on it." The blonde raced down the road for the tower. "Ah, peace and quiet."

His two female students smiled but did not say anything, having also grown annoyed at the boy's non-stop constant talking. It was another ten minutes before they arrived and came across the sight of a dancing Naruto, holding a relatively small scroll as he did his happy dance.

"I'm surprised you actually gave it to him." The lone Hatake commented, tucking away his book in the presence of his leader. The aged Kage puffed on his pipe as he watched Naruto quickly pour over the contents of the scroll, the Uchiha trying her best to nonchalantly read it with red eyes.

"I suppose some developments were made on this mission?" The man asked, the girl's Sharingan spinning to him and fading into black a moment later. "Might I advise the asking of permission? Many ninja quite dislike the instant learning of jutsu they spend a long time on."

The girl gave a slow nod at the man's words, seeing him give a nod at her own as he returned his attention to the Jōnin. The silver-haired man then fell into a lengthy report, the stature of the teens behind him slackening as he talked for seemingly ever.

"And this Haku?" Sarutobi asked, fingers steepled as he stared at one of his top Jōnin. Naruto's eyes snapped to the side of Satsuki's neck, her seemingly flawless skin marred by a single silvery dot where it had stabbed her neck. "Naruto-kun?"

The boy looked back at the man behind the desk who was looking at the blonde as though trying to analyze something. The Uzumaki fell out of his momentary trance and felt a stinging in his palm. He looked down at his hand and saw sharp cuts where his nails had dug into his palm.

"Heh, sorry." He played it off, rubbing the back of his head with his other hand as the cut hand began to hiss out hot steam as it healed as though it had never happened.

"Tch." Satsuki was, of course, upset that he could so easily shake off such a wound. Hiruzen stared at the young blonde for several more moments, making the youth uncomfortable.

"Haku threw himself in front of my chidori, he saved his master at the expense of his own life." Kakashi finished, taking the Hokage's attention off of Naruto as he took a deep inhale of his pipe.

"I see." The man said as he exhaled. "And then Zabuza tried to finish his mission before being double-crossed by Gatō, proceeding to kill both himself and the shipping magnate."

"Yes."

"And his sword?"

"Right here." All three students snapped to their teacher, seeing him hold up a scroll as a means of an answer. All three were outraged but Naruto more so than the others.

"What! Kakashi-sensei, how could you rob his grave like that! That sword was his! You can't just steal it like that!"

"Technically Naruto-kun, it is yours." All three youths snapped their heads to the Hokage leaning back in his chair. "Kakashi, leave the scroll. Everyone but Naruto, you are dismissed. The mission office will see you paid for an A-rank mission."

Despite her gobsmacked expression, Sakura let herself be pushed out of the office by her teacher as Satsuki lingered. She let her eyes flicker between the two scrolls and the blonde before clenching her fist as she stormed out.

"I am sure you have many questions. I'd say that now would be the time for an explanation." The man said, leaning back with the only thing on his desk being the lone scroll.

"What the hell do you mean it's mine Old Man!" The blonde exploded with an absolutely befuddled expression. In most cases it would be quite hilarious.

"Do you know the red swirl on the vests that people wear here in Konoha? The one on the back of that jumpsuit?" Naruto craned his neck but couldn't see it and shrugged regardless.

"Of course, how's a swirl got to do with me owning a big sword?"

"That is the symbol of the Uzumaki clan; your clan." The man said, taking a puff of his pipe as the blonde blinked slowly.

"I... have a clan?" He whispered as Hiruzen dumped his ashes.

"Not anymore. The Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure was wiped out near five years before the start of the Third Shinobi War. We, Konoha, were the most open allies of Uzushio and as a result, wear their symbol on our vests out of honor."

"So, I'm the last one?" The blonde looked crushed, gaining the hope of having a family and hearing they'd been entirely wiped out in ten seconds had completely messed with his emotions.

"No, I am sure that you no doubt have a distant cousin or two spread throughout the nations. Despite their ties with us, the Uzumaki were close with Kiri as well."

"Then... how'd they get wiped out? Was it like Satsuki's clan?" He shuddered to think of one man killing his entire clan like that.

"No. Fear is what wiped out your people Naruto-kun. An accumulatory force between Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa attacked their home. It had happened too quickly for us to aide them and I am sorry Naruto-kun. It's one of my greatest regrets."

The blonde took a moment to think about the words and digest the information as he sagged into one of the guest chairs, looking at the wood floor as he did so. In one conversation the boy had learned that he had a clan, they had had a country, and that they were attacked by the other countries.

"But... Why?" He finally asked as he bunched up the cloth of his pant leg.

"As I said. Fear. Your people were masters of two arts; Fūinjutsu and Kenjutsu." The blonde's eyes flickered to the scroll. "Yes. Their skill in these arts was so great that the other three nations attacked them as the Uzumaki had won each war they had entered."

"You said it happened to quick to help, right?" The blonde said slowly, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the ground.

"Yes, it had begun and ended in a day; it took too long for the information to reach us." Throughout the whole conversation the aged monkey had remained rather neutral, his experience in having this conversation was apparent. The blonde swallowed thickly as he looked at the scroll.

"And the sword?"

"Spoils that Kiri took. I do not know the specifics but, Kiri managed to take seven, for lack of a better word, special blades from Uzushio. They then created an organization around these blades and the one before you is one of those such blades." Naruto's brow furrowed once more at the words.

"Special? All he did was slice with it." Hiruzen frowned before biting down on his pipe and freeing his hands. He began to search through the seal-expanded drawers of his desk. He flipped through several folders before finding a box that he wanted.

The man withdrew a simple cardboard box and set it on his desk with a rather dull thud. He pulled out it's contents, seven rather thick folders.

"This is all of the information we have on the blades, help yourself. It is your heritage after all." The man sat back in his chair, shutting the drawer and beginning the process of packing his pipe. The thirteen-year-old seemed just as he was; a child.

He walked forward timidly and picked up a seemingly random folder, the one on the far left. He opened it and saw a sketch of a hammer and an ax. He grew puzzled and skimmed over the page next to it that described it and it's uses. There were three more pages of how to use it and he realized there'd be no way he can read all of these right now.

"You can keep them, they're yours after all." The blonde nodded at the words and set it down. He flipped open the covers of the others before coming to a stop on the one with a sketch of the one he'd seen Zabuza use. He poured over the knowledge, the most avid he had ever been in learning something.

"I am afraid," The Hokage intervened, pulling the blonde from his reading. "I do have things to do today and cannot have you here forever. So, is there anything else that you would like to know, Naruto-kun?"

"Can I visit Uzushio?" Despite the differences, the bright blue eyes and sunny blonde hair looked eerily similar to amethyst eyes and blood red hair from all those years ago. Two children, both desperate to visit their homeland and both being perfectly justified in their want. The first he had turned down, too risky. The second...

"As of right now? No." The blonde was already rearing up to argue with the man. "But, when you become Chūnin you can." The blonde's eyes shined. "With an escort of Kakashi as well as one other Jōnin." The blonde nodded vigorously. "Well then Naruto-kun, welcome back to Konoha."

* * *

Satsuki found herself glaring a hole into the green door in front of her, Naruto's door to be specific. She had come with Kakashi and Sakura and now they all were standing outside his apartment. The problem? The fact they'd knocked twice and there had been no answer.

"Are you sure he's in there, Kaka-sensei?" Sakura asked, her head tilting as she stared at the door. She was a decent teammate, she didn't really get in the way much and was rather quiet so Satsuki had no problems with her. Yet.

"Yep. Wanna knock again?" Their teacher asked with a closed eye smile. She scowled at his face and pushed forward, trying to open the door but finding it locked. She forced it open. "Ma ma. Naruto has to replace that himself you know?"

"I'll pay." She grit out. She didn't know why, but the hiding of the blonde was annoying her more than it should. She quickly stormed through the small apartment and was momentarily surprised at his spartan lifestyle but the stacked ramen cups by the sink gave away that this was indeed Naruto's apartment.

She entered the one of two doorways, one with light and the other dark. She entered the light and found him and his bedroom. It was small, probably half the size of her own at best. Despite this, one wall had more on it than all the walls in her house.

There was a bed and a small nightstand but that wasn't the key feature of this room. The feature was Naruto standing and staring at the wall in front of him and said wall.

It was a spiderweb of pictures, papers, files, folders and string connecting it all in a strange beauty. All of them connected back to one thing, the red swirl on the Jōnin vest. The three stared in awed silence as the blonde remained transfixed on the wall.

It was the first time she'd seen him out of his jumpsuit since they made Genin; he was only wearing black shorts and a white shirt with that same red swirl. In one of his hands was that same scroll from earlier.

"Naruto?" She was caught off-guard by the serious tone in her teacher's voice, his lone eye staring solely at the blonde mop of hair.

"I had a clan." He whispered, staring at the wall in front of him. Satsuki scrunched her face up at his words, he was an orphan.

"Yes, you did." Kakashi affirmed, lack of book apparent as his two female students looked at him surprise.

"And they're all gone. All dead." He muttered as he put a hand to his chest, right over the symbol.

"The Uzumaki scattered, you have cousins-"

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER!" The blonde spontaneously roared, clenching the scroll in his hand so tight it looked as though it would break. "What's the point of having any family if you know they're just hiding like rats!"

The room fell silent and Satsuki saw the shimmering of tears hitting the floor.

"It's better than having no family at all."

"Then how come they didn't remake the Uzumaki clan! How come if I have cousins, why didn't they rise again!"

"One family cannot take on three entire nations Naruto, history has proven this."

"Screw history!" The blonde rounded on them, his pupil flickering and blood dribbling from his empty hand. "The Uzumaki were strong enough! I'll prove it! I'll show you all!" The blonde's eyes looked more firm than she'd ever seen them.

"I'll take back the swords and take on everyone! I'll show everyone that they can't beat the Uzumaki!"

The room was silent for several moments, the blonde's panting filling the air as Kakashi once more stepped up to the conversation.

"You would cause a war with Kiri over these swords?"

"We shoulda gone to war with them when they wiped out my people!"

"I thought you wanted to protect your comrades? You would throw them in a war for swords?" Kakashi's words were brutal and it showed, Naruto gritting his teeth and the blood dribbles became more constant.

"What's the point of being a shinobi if I can't even-"

"Enough, Naruto." The blonde did not look like he had had enough. "Satsuki, Sakura, go home. I need to talk with Naruto for a bit." Sakura barely hesitated to leave, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears but Satsuki caught Naruto's eye as she began to leave the room and one emotion passed between them.

Understanding. The two girls left the apartment and Naruto returned his attention to the man in front of him.

"Vengeance is not a good trait at all Naruto."

"Why not? Satsuki-chan's always going on about revenge and she's miles better than me!"

"There are large differences between you and Satsuki. She has let her vengeance cool. She does not let it fully control her. And her vengeance stops with one man. Where does yours stop Naruto?"

"When I have back the swords!"

"The swords that are in Kiri's position for at least two of them. Satsuki is not waging a war with a nation. Her path of vengeance only affects herself, yours affects us all."

"Then I'll leave Konoha!" Kakashi's eye narrowed.

"And what about being Hokage?" The blonde's eyes darted away. "See what your need for vengeance is causing you? It's making you forget what you've wanted to be for as long as I've known you."

"Then we just ask for them back! The swords belong to the Uzumaki, not their killers!"

"Spoils of war have been a constant for every war." Naruto stared into space, clearly trying to think before he roared, turning and kicking his bed as he did so.

"It's not about the swords! It's about the Uzumaki!" Kakashi gave a sigh as he pulled out his book, turning to the hallway of the apartment.

"Then you need to realize which is more important; Konoha or your clan." The man left with those words, leaving the broken front door open as he did so. Naruto grit his teeth as his anger bubbled beneath the skin.

He screamed his anger and frustration to the sky.

* * *

Satsuki snapped awake at the sound of a thudding at her front door. She scowled fiercely before realizing she was the only one with access to the compound. Her eyes narrowed as she made her way down the stairs, a kunai in palm. The familiar spiky outline of her teammate's shadow in the moonlight made her ease.

"What are you..." Her voice trailed off at the look about him. He had bags under his eyes and he'd clearly not slept, he looked like he'd done a hundred things and the look in his eye was different. She realized all she was wearing was her usual night clothes of a tank top and shorts and scowled. "What is it?"

"I'm not gonna say I understand or anything like that. But I get it." Her eyes widened at his words as righteous anger flared in her. She'd heard those words everyday since the massacre, it made her almost as angry as what he did. "I'm gonna try and get all the swords, and you're gonna try and kill him. And then, the two of us can sit at the graveyard and eat ramen when it's all done."

She blinked at his words, taking in his weary grin and the familiar spark in his eye. So he was going to try and be an avenger but still try and be himself, still Naruto.

"Tch, whoever gets their revenge first doesn't pay." The blonde grinned brighter as he held out a fist.

"You buying me ramen sounds awesome." She rolled her eyes but gave him a slight bump regardless. Then, the blonde pulled out six scrolls. "I've learned some stuff." He abruptly pushed past her and she scowled, he was the first person to enter the house since the massacre and she felt oddly okay with it.

"Make yourself at home." She said, annoyance dripping from her tone as she shut the door and breathed light fire into a candle, lighting the others around the room as she went. When she was done, she came to the sight of the blonde sat on the floor in the middle of her empty living room.

"So, I was going through all these scrolls after Kakashi-sensei left and I made a couple clones to give me a hand. Then, when they went away I saw all these different images that kinda threw me off." He bounced with childish excitement as she crossed her arms over her chest. "My clones can like remember things!"

"Remember... things." She said slowly like speaking to a baby.

"Yeah, so like anything they see I remember. I didn't really notice it before because whenever I made the clones I always already saw the stuff they saw so I just thought I was seeing bits of what I already saw. But what I saw was not what they saw because what they saw was not what I saw, it was different."

She stared at him for a few moments before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. She walked away and into the kitchen, disappearing for nearly a minute.

"Uh, Satsuki-chan?" Naruto asked tentatively and a few moments later, the ravenette came back out with a steaming cup of tea while sipping it. She sat down lotus style and leaned forward slightly.

"Say it again, but slower Dead Last." He gave a small scowl at the name but cleared his throat.

"So... If my clone like hears something I don't hear, when it pops I remember what it said."

"That's not how clones work." He gave her a look like she was being impossible. He made a clone that looked as tired as he did.

"Go tell it something where I can't hear." She gave another sigh as she rose without the use of her hands, elegant in even a move as simple as that. The two walked into the kitchen she had disappeared into and nothing was heard other than a gasp followed by the signature pop.

"Ew!" Naruto exclaimed as he looked at her weird when she entered. "Why would you say that?" He asked, clearly disgusted.

"Say what?" Her poker face was remarkable.

"That you've got one of Kakashi-sensei's books up in your room." He whispered with a blush as she rose her own brows.

"Wow, you weren't kidding." The blonde gaped at her.

"You can't just act like you didn't say that!"

"I lied." The blonde blinked in astonishment before staring at her in suspicion, something she returned with a shrug. "Do you know how useful that is?"

"I know right! I could use it to have a talk with people without actually talking to them!" She blinked at that.

"Or," She dragged out the words slowly as she fell back into her previous seat smoothly. "You could learn jutsu a lot faster." Her eyes narrowed at her own words. "Teach me it!" She suddenly hissed as her Sharingan activated. He blinked at her but narrowed his eyes.

"What do I get?" She scrunched her face up like she'd eaten a lemon as she contemplated the words.

"What do you want." She slowly grit out as he practically bounced.

"Any scrolls on kenjutsu you've got!" She frowned in thought, her clan no doubt had some somewhere. She rose and disappeared upstairs. Naruto was left twiddling his thumbs and by the time she got back, she caught sight of him gulping her tea like he was dying of thirst.

"Hey!" She yelled at him as he sheepishly stopped, revealing it was now empty. "Bastard!" She hissed at him as he chuckled awkwardly.

"Sorry? It smelled really good."

"And you drank from my mug!" She exclaimed, the scroll in her hand practically forgotten. He blinked owlishly at her.

"Oh, do you wanna still use it? I drank from the other side so you're good." She forcibly took a deep breath, pushing the air in and out of her nose before holding up the scroll.

"This is the only one I could find." He frowned at it. "Uchiha don't use swords, we use ninjutsu." He shrugged and accepted the scroll as she reactivated her Sharingan.

"It's pretty simple, you just make this sign and say **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Two clones popped into existence as Satsuki fumed.

"I've seen you do that a thousand times!" She hissed as she made the sign and yelled the words. She collapsed to her knees as five clones popped into existence like Naruto's.

"Oh yeah, the Old Man said I was lucky because of the Kyūbi I can make way more than anyone else." She panted and glared at him in fury. "Heh, oops?" She fell back onto her rear and one of her clones slapped one of the Naruto's, popping it into smoke.

"Five's about half of my reserves. Ten's my limit." She glared at Naruto. "How many can you make!? I've seen you make dozens!"

"I once made a thousand!" He exclaimed with a smile and it looked as though she wanted to burn down the house. "Anyway, come on. When the clone pops I think you get back your chakra." She dispelled the clones and felt her reserves return to normal. She sighed in relief as the blonde rose.

"Where are you going?"

"I saw a training ground on the way here." He muttered before she snagged his collar and tugged him back into the house.

"Let me get dressed, idiot." She ordered as he looked her up and down as though for the first time and she felt oddly vulnerable.

"Why? It's just us." She couldn't list the amount of things wrong with that sentence. She sighed in defeat.

"This better be good." He grinned as she slipped into her sandals and lead the way. It was a brisk walk and she rubbed a hand along her arm, it was an early December night after all. She panicked slightly at the orange jacket that fell on her and turned to the boy in outrage, seeing him snicker at her.

"You looked cold, you should've thrown on some more clothes." Her look could have lit lamps with how it blazed. Despite her outrage, the inside was lined with wool and it smelled clean.

"Since when did you gain a good sense of humor?"

"Since when did you get cold?" He returned as she huffed, slipping on the coat as she did so. God she felt stupid but warm at the same time.

"I get cold, why do you think I wear long-sleeves and pants?" Naruto hummed as he walked alongside her. "And you? Why aren't you cold? It's freezing out here."

"I never get cold, Kyūbi keeps me warm I guess." She stared at him in suspicion. "See?" He put a hand to her cheek and her eyes widened, blushing slightly at the action and the feel of its warmth. Naruto's brain seemed to catch up with what he was doing and pulled it back just as quickly, a three times stronger blush on his face.

"We're here." She said, pulling herself in deeper to the coat. "Now show me why you made me go out in the cold." They were indeed there, a plain dirt field with six wooden target dummies lining each side with a tall concrete wall behind them to catch errant shuriken and kunai.

"Watch this!" He took a single kunai out and threw it at the dummy. He then made a trio of hand signs and with a mutter she couldn't catch, the one kunai became over a hundred. Her eyes widened in shock, her Sharingan flaring to life to see the hundred kunai carve out chips of the concrete and wood alike.

After doing their damage, the fake kunai popped into smoke and all that was left was the one kunai in the head of the dummy. She must have shown her awe because the blonde sidled up to her with a cocky grin.

"Awesome aren't I?" She scowled. "You can say it, the Uzumaki are the better clan. It's okay, I won't tell anyon-" He coughed in pain at the abrupt elbow to the gut. He looked up at her in pain and saw that same victorious smirk.

"The Uchiha are obviously better, we have a Dōjutsu."

"We have an island."

They both went quiet and Naruto sighed into the late night air, seeing the slightest hint of his own breath.

"We're the last true members of our clans." She scowled at the ground at his words. "I don't care about cousins, or older brothers, or anything like that." He muttered, Satsuki glaring at the words 'older brother'. "We're gonna show 'em why they shoulda finished the job."

She looked into his eyes and found the same type of determination she often found in her own. Her mouth set in a firm line as she nodded slowly.

"You don't get in my way, and I don't get in yours." He gave her a foxy grin and ruffled her ebony locks, the girl frowning at the action.

"And whoever finishes first gets to be treated to ramen."

"I hope tomato ramen is expensive."

Naruto's laugh filled the night air as they walked back to her house.

* * *

"Chūnin Exams?" Naruto asked as he practically vibrated with energy with Satsuki less noticeable in her excitement but equally eager in her own way.

"Yes, that's why all the foreign ninja are around right now." Naruto blinked at him. He wouldn't know, he'd been training. "So, I have permission slips here." Naruto had already snatched one with Satsuki a step behind. "And all three of you have to enter as a _team_."

The two snapped their eyes to Sakura, the girl looking rather nervous about the ordeal.

"Sakura-chan probably wants to enter." Naruto said with a rather pointed look that Kakashi cuffed him around the head for.

"And no bullying her into it. If she's not ready, she's not ready. You've been Genin for two months, you can smell the roses a bit before becoming Chūnin." Naruto frowned at the man's words as he turned to the man.

"But the Old Man said I can go to Uzushio when I become Chūnin." Kakashi hummed at his words and Sakura clenched the paper even harder.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." And with that, the man disappeared in a flutter of leaves as both Naruto and Satsuki turned to Sakura.

"So, Sakura-chan. Whatcha thinking?" The girl frowned at the small paper.

"I don't think I'm ready to become a Chūnin."

"Um... Why not?" Naruto asked slowly.

"I'm not strong enough, I'm not like either of you."

"Then you should've trained harder." Satsuki said with crossed arms and while Sakura snapped to meet her gaze, Naruto just watched it all unfold. "You went through the same years of schooling as us and Naruto's an orphan with no parents to teach him. The only one you've got to blame is yourself, don't drag us down with you."

The Uchiha's words were harsh and it showed with the flinch Sakura gave.

"We'll protect you, I am strong enough to say that and Naruto will back it up. You don't have to become Chūnin, we just need you to not hold us back." The words clearly struck like a knife as the pinkette flinched.

"I see. I need to go home and have my parents sign it." The girl's words were barely a whisper and she walked as fast as she could away.

"That was kinda mean." Naruto said as the silence took hold. Satsuki gave him a dry stare.

"And her trying to selfishly hold us back isn't? She would keep us as Genin because she thinks she's not ready?" Naruto raised his hands in a peaceful gesture as he backed away.

"I'm not saying she was right but you coulda said it a bit nicer." Satsuki rolled her eyes at his words.

"You could have jumped to her defense if you wanted."

"I want to be Chūnin just as bad as you, I'm just saying we probably seem like bad teammates."

"Whatever, we're never going to even be on the same level so what does it matter." Naruto gave up on his attempted defense.

"So, whaddya think the Chūnin Exam is? I've seen the big tournament before but there's no way that's it right?" He pondered with his hands behind his head as he looked at the sky.

"Probably a written test and something about teamwork." She said with a shrug as Naruto groaned into the air. "Calm down, they wouldn't fail an entire team because one of us has a bad grade."

"OR they just fail me." He groaned as she shrugged.

"Or they do that." He groaned even louder as she smirked. "Whatever, worry about it if you want. Since the Cyclops isn't training us today I'm off." She then walked away slowly as Naruto watched her leave. She wore very baggy clothes, he idly realized.

He turned back to himself as she faded out of sight, pulling out the most familiar scroll he had ever interacted with. He turned it over several times in his hand, feeling the details of it's paper and it's wooden base. He slowly unfurled it and laid it out on the ground.

It popped and with a cloud of smoke, came into existence in it's entirety. The massive sword was longer than the actual scroll and longer than Naruto. The boy crouched down and gripped the handle tightly and tried to lift the sword only for the majority of the blade to dip.

He grunted in surprise at the fact he couldn't lift it easily and glared at the massive sword. He once more lifted it but with all of his strength and hefted it over his head and went head over heels with it. He glared from his position on the ground, the sword impaled beside him.

Naruto flipped on his feet and began lifting it over and over, it swinging in an arching motion constantly. The boy's determination and willingness to learn to use the sword was admirable even if he was going about it the wrong way.

It was still working.

Slowly.

* * *

Four days passed and the Uzumaki scion and Uchiha princess were stood near the mouth of the academy, waiting patiently as they did so.

"Told you you were too mean." Satsuki gave him a scalding glare as she crossed her arms.

"If that was too much for her then she should not be a shinobi." Naruto shrugged at her words as he caught a pink speck in the distance.

"Awesome." He said with a smirk as Satsuki also looked in the direction of their coming teammate.

"Sorry!" She called as she neared, lightly jogging with a smile. "I woke up late, I hope you guys weren't waiting too long!"

"We just got here!" Naruto said with a head scratch and a smile. "C'mon, let's become Chūnin already! I've got ramen waiting for me!"

The trio quickly entered the building and upon reaching the third floor, saw a crowd around the examination room. Naruto instantly started for the room only to get pulled back by Satsuki who slapped the back of his head.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" He whined as he rubbed the spot she had hit. She gave him a blank stare as Sakura nodded along.

"There's a genjutsu on the sign, we're on the second floor." Sakura chimed in as he blinked slowly.

"Can't you count how many stairs we climbed?" Satsuki asked with a scowl as Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "C'mon idiot, leave them alone. If they can't even count stairs then they should stay Genin."

"Sheesh, so mean." Naruto said with a motorboat of his lips as Satsuki gave him a glare. "Easy easy." He said appeasingly as the Uchiha lead the way up the stairs. They went up the final flight and found their teacher leaning against a pillar, reading his book. "Yo, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Yo, Naruto." The man said with a closed eye smile, leaving his book out even as he looked at his trio of students. "I'm glad you all made it!"

"So we go in there?" Satsuki asked, blunt as ever as Kakashi hummed.

"Yep, remember though. The Chūnin Exams were made as a way to keep the peace, give a good enough showing and no one'll even wanna mess with Konoha. Break a leg, yeah?" The three students gave him bright grins.

"Don't even worry, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto pounded a fist into his open palm. "We're gonna crush 'em!"

"Good to hear. Well, I would say good luck but you probably don't need it!" The trio began to move past the man but he put a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but killing is not allowed, Naruto."

"I'm not gonna kill-"

"There are Kiri-nin here." Naruto's mouth formed in a line. "So, don't cause a war by killing someone when it's not allowed. Got it?"

"Sure thing, Kakashi-sensei. I don't hate them all, maybe there's a few good guys?" He said with a small smile that Kakashi returned with a closed eye one. He patted his sole male student's shoulder as he rose.

"I've got money on you guys, don't let me down." Naruto laughed as his teacher walked away. He stepped through the doors and found his teammates as well as a group of his graduating class standing together, all talking low while shooting a wary eye at the crowd of Genin.

He let his own eyes drift and saw a lot of glares but his head snapped onto one detail in particular. A dual handled wrapped sword. Before he knew it, the blonde was weaving through the crowd, stepping past people and ignoring their glares.

He heard the mutterings but didn't care as he made eye contact with the glasses-wearing Kiri-nin. He neared and was soon within arm reach.

"Can I help you?" The blue-haired boy asked timidly as he looked up at the blonde from his seated position.

"That's the Hiramekarei." Naruto said easily as the boy nodded slowly. "You know Kiri stole those swords right?" The teen frowned.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen have had them for decades."

"But they stole them from the Uzumaki." Naruto said firmly with a frown as he held out a hand. "Name's Uzumaki Naruto, yeah. Wanna give me my sword?" The somewhat timid boy stood with a frown that showed his sharp teeth while his team stood behind him.

"I earned Hiramekarei. It's mine." Naruto gave a sharp foxy grin as his whiskers darkened and a small feeling of apprehension came over the room in a blanket. The blonde's canines elongated slightly and several ninja put a hand on their kunai.

"Then I guess I'll have to take it!" The blonde barked as he glared up at the slightly taller boy. Tension skyrocketed and the Kiri-nin readied themselves for a fight, only for a gnarled hand to clap down on Naruto's shoulder audibly.

"Get back in line. You can have your playground fights another time." Naruto looked up and found the unnerving sight of Morino Ibiki.

"Yeah," The blonde said slowly, his fist unclenching and his features returning to normal as the tension ebbed away. "Later." The blonde walked off and rejoined his team, getting a nod from Satsuki and odd or wary looks from everyone else.

"Alright brats, I'm only gonna say this once so keep an ear open." Ibiki said as he returned to the front of the room, a line of Chūnin behind him. "The Chūnin Exams have begun, and I will be your first examiner. For a lot of you, I'll be your only examiner."

It was the beginning of the end.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto glared hard at the back of the blue-haired teen's head, arms crossed and jaw tense. A shoulder slammed into his own and he saw it was Satsuki. He was about to round on her but she just pointed with her chin. He looked up and saw the lady from before walking onto the platform.

They'd passed the first exam easily, the written test actually a faux exam while the real test was their conviction. None of team seven had raised their hand and Naruto had just grinned at Ibiki who made a note of how weird the kid was.

Said kid loudly proclaimed that he wasn't gonna run away from becoming a Chūnin, causing several more anxious people to settle themselves in their seats.

"Listen up!" The purple-haired woman called with her hands on her hips. "This here behind me is the Forest of Death, you're going in there and some of you aren't leaving!" The woman gave a bloodthirsty grin as a piercing scream erupted from the forest, unnerving the Genin. It wasn't helped by the fact they all went still at the sight of a thirty-foot long centipede coiling around a tree.

"This here is a waver!" She held up a sheet of paper that the assembled Chūnin assistants began handing out. "If you die in the forest, it's not on Konoha! There's things in that forest that crap out Jōnin for breakfast! Your task, to get a scroll!" The woman let the paper flutter away in the air as she held up two scrolls.

"It's simple, if you've got a heaven scroll, you need an earth scroll. If you've got a earth scroll, you need a heaven scroll! If you've got two heavens or two earths, no dice! You've got five days to get a scroll of each kind and make it to the tower in the middle of the forest!"

She gave a particularly unnerving grin as she tossed the scrolls to a Chūnin.

"If you get attacked by creatures or another team, you're not getting any help from us. You die, you die. At least half of you aren't moving on from this forest! It's your choice whether that's on your feet or in a box."

"Crazy lady." Naruto grumbled as he began scratching his name and signature on the dotted line of the paper. He handed it back as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, staring at the swordsman not far ahead of him. He and his team then went into a tent, disappearing from his sight as they grabbed a scroll.

"Think they've got a heaven or an earth?" Satsuki asked, watching the same group as they began to walk around the chain-linked forest.

"We'll find out." The blonde said grumpily as he blew a motorboat with his lips. "I'm getting this feeling like we are not gonna have fun in there."

"Oh really? Did the big bug do that, or the scream?" The Uchiha asked, a condescending tone to her voice.

"Neither." He muttered, pointing into the forest and the girl peered deep into the foliage and saw what he saw. Three rotting bodies with the faces completely wiped off. Then, a massive snake slithered by and ate them whole.

"Do you have anything to kill really big snakes?" Sakura asked up from behind them as Naruto grinned, brandishing a scroll as he did so.

"A really big sword."

"That you can't use yet."

"Details." He said to the pessimistic Uchiha as they began to make their way into the tent for their scroll. They came out with an Earth scroll and made their way around the forest, the opposite way the Kiri-nin went.

"So, what should our plan be?" Sakura once more tried to be the voice of reason. She was really timid for a shinobi.

"Smack em-" A pale hand clamped over his mouth.

"Others can hear." She said at his look of annoyance. She yelped slightly as she retracted her hand, wiping it furiously on her pants as he cackled. "That's disgusting!" She hissed, punching him in the shoulder as she tried to get his saliva off her palm.

"Yeah, we're waiting until we're in the forest to say out plan, Sakura-chan!" He said with an extended digit, the pinkette nodding slowly.

"What if we run into another Konoha team?" She questioned, the three standing in front of their numbered gate. It had forty-four, funny.

"Well, kinda depends on who's on the team." Naruto said with a chin scratch as he looked up in ponder. "If it's anyone from our class maybe, anyone else is a pretty big chance of us fighting." Sakura looked scandalized by his words.

"The Chūnin exams end in a tournament, you fight other Konoha-nin no matter what." Naruto hummed as he scratched at his neck. "What is up with you?" The Uchiha rounded on him.

"I dunno, I feel like I got a-" He slapped his hand down hard on his forearm and peeled back his jumpsuit to reveal a bug. "Bug. Hey, green blood for a bug?"

"That's Aburame-san's." Sakura chimed in, the other two turning to her in surprise. She blushed in embarrassment. "I killed one of them on accident in class."

"He's probably got one on every team." Satsuki said as she frowned. "Do you think it can relay what we were saying?" The pinkette frowned at the words.

"I don't think Aburame have telepathy, it was probably a way of tracking us with a mating bug." Naruto blinked at her in surprise as he flicked off the remnants of the bug.

"Being smart sounds awesome." Sakura blushed at the praise under the stern eye of the Uchiha. "See? Someone was listening. Kinda. I've seen him talk to 'em so he would found out if it got back." He pat the Uchiha's head like she was a dog, causing her to slap the arm away and punch him in the shoulder again.

"You've become insufferable since Wave." He grinned again. "It wasn't a compliment, Rocks for Brains."

"Ow. Right to the insults!" A buzzer sounded out and their gate swung open. The three leapt into the forest and dashed several trees in, coming to a stop on top of a seemingly random branch. "Can we plan now?"

"Yes." The Uchiha grunted out to his whine.

"So basically, we go hunt a team and wack 'em as hard as we can until we get their scroll. I can use these clones to find them!" And to punctuate his words, their vision flooded with orange as a veritable sea of Naruto's entered the clearing. "ALRIGHT! GO FIND US A GOOD SCROLL!"

"Yeah!" The blonde sea roared, sounding like an army rallying cry before scattering.

"You could not have announced where we were easier." Naruto gave her a grin and made nine more clones. Six of them transformed into the two girls beside him and the other three remained tanned and blonde.

"Rocks for Brains my butt!" He cackled as these clones split in different directions. The blonde took a seat on the branch and leaned against the tree. "Pretty good, right?"

"That wasn't planning, that was you acting like a neanderthal." Satsuki commented. The blonde groaned at her words and threw his arms up. "But it was a decent idea, for an idiot."

"I have never heard you give me a compliment!" He shouted at her with a scowl that she matched with an arrogant smirk.

"I think it was a good plan." Sakura said as Naruto grinned. "But, how are those clones going to tell us where a scroll is?"

"Oh yeah, I never told you. I found out my clones give me back their memories! So I'll remember where they went and what they did!" The blonde said with a megawatt smile that the girl returned with a slow blink.

"That sounds like a lot of chakra." She muttered as the Uchiha grunted.

"It is. I can only make ten." Sakura blinked in astonishment only for Naruto to shudder.

"Sorry, I just had one of my clones get suffocated. Do not fight the red-haired due with the gourd. He's got some wicked sand control." The two girls seemed to think on the information. "Ah! A group of my clones took down a team! Let's go!"

The trio began to blitz through the forest quickly, Sakura struggling to keep up.

"Oi idiot, slow down a bit." Satsuki herself was faster than Naruto but she knew having an exhausted useless teammate was much worse than just a useless teammate.

"Heh, sorry Sakura-chan." The blonde slowed down suitably as they all fell into step together.

"It's okay, Naruto." They soon fell into a clearing, a group of twenty blondes sat around either on tree limbs or the ground. Several had the legendary sword out and three stood over the bound trio all tied together.

"Yo, boss! We took 'em out with the sword! Just bashed 'em with the flat end like you said!" Naruto gave the clone a high-five that it vigorously returned.

"Alright, what scroll do they got?" Naruto shuddered at the odd sensation of seeing yourself die in so many ways.

"Heh, we didn't get that far?" The blonde clone asked with a head scratch as Naruto shook his head. He and the other clones began searching the trio and one of the clones was forced to stop.

"Um, Sakura-chan, Satsuki-chan. Can one of you come over here and grab it?" The ravenette walked over with a raised brow but saw the odd lump stuffed down the lone girl's brassiere. She looked up at the blushing blonde and rolled her eyes, slapping him across the face to dispel him.

"Hey, I still kinda feel that!" Satsuki ignored him and easily took the scroll from the Kusa-nin's robes. "Hey, just what we needed! Sweet, let's go. You guys, start running for the tower and kinda clear a path!"

"You got it!" And like howling dogs, the pack of blondes began carving through the forest for the tower in the center.

"One jutsu and you can use it for anything." Satsuki muttered bitterly as Naruto gave her that same grin.

"Maybe you could make like a fire clone? That'd be pretty cool."

"How am I going to make a clone out of fire?"

"How do you make one out of shadows?" He shot back as she scowled. "Let's go! Maybe we can make a record or somethin'!" The trio began coursing through the trees and only the memory of blinding alerted Naruto in time. "Get down!" He yelled as he put his arms in a cross guard in time for a foot to crash into him.

It hit like an iron ox, the boy flying away with speed neither girl could really track. He flew into the open waiting maw of a snake, the massive reptile looming over the two with a sinister smile. Satsuki let out a choked noise as she rounded on the new appearance, an unnerving woman with a twisted face and a Kusa headband.

"My, my. I had expected more of him. Naruto-kun's performance had consistently impressed until now." The woman shrugged as she turned to the two girls, one of anger and one of fear. "The legendary Sharingan. Come, little Uchiha."

Satsuki did not need any other words as she leapt forward, engaging in a fierce series of taijutsu that the woman would either block or dodge. It wasn't until the girl began weaving through hand seals that the woman got serious.

"Oh? I suppose our time of taijutsu is over?" She asked as she took a stance in the face of the swelling girl. The girl arched her body before spitting out a ball of fire that was closer in size to a building. It enveloped the woman and yet, she did not scream at all. "Quite impressive."

Satsuki spun with a kunai that was caught and plucked from her hand by the woman, the Kusa-nin kicking her into the nearby tree as she grinned sickeningly. The woman then turned to the small pinkette who had remained staring at the massive snake who had been looming over her.

"I suppose she can be last." The Kusa-nin said as she turned back around, facing the avenger that was peeling herself out of the tree. The girl then began dashing forward, palming two kunai as she did so. "You aren't a very fast learner are you?"

She easily moved around the two kunai that sailed by and engaged the girl in taijutsu once more, staying solely defensive until the girl presented too large of an opportunity.

"I had thought you were a prodigy, Satsu-chan." The woman said smoothly, palm striking the girl in the chest. The girl puffed into smoke and the woman's features actually showed shock. "Shadow clone?"

Before the woman could react, three more kunai were thrown past her and the five kunai surrounding her were pulled taut, wrapping around her in a spool of ninja wire. She squirmed and angled her head up, facing the glaring red visage of Uchiha Satsuki.

She then made a hand sign and a string of fire raced down the ninja wire, sliding for the squirming Kusa-nin and then encompassing her. The woman screamed in ear-splitting pain, her form melting in the bright orange fire. The screams became laughs and the fire began to die down slightly as the ninja wire melted away.

"Quite impressive, Satsu-chan." The woman's voice gained a more raspy tilt as a horrifying scene began to play out, a person dragging themselves out of the corpse that fell to the ground like wet clothes. The fire died down enough for the girls to see the figure that emerged.

They were similar yet not, the woman had grown paler and more masculine with different colored eyes and a more natural-looking sadism.

"Very impressive indeed." His voice was now clearly his natural one as he flicked a hand through his hair, a mirthful grin on his face. "You remind me of me greatly at your age. I think, I'll have to give you something to-" The man was cut off by a thick purple glob falling on the ground in front of him.

His head craned up to see the brutalized carcass of the snake that had swallowed Naruto, looking as though it had been cleaved clean through. The man spun to see the blonde standing on the tree branches behind him.

"What kinda bastard uses snakes!" The Uzumaki youth crowed, his features slimed in internal fluids. "As if you'll get away with trying to make me die!" The blonde made a cross symbol, a sea of blondes filling the branches around him as many pulled out their massive cleaver.

"Oh? The Kubikiribōchō? And how did you get a hold on that?" The blonde grinned a familiar grin.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO STYLE! CLEAVER BARRAGE!" And like the maelstrom he's named after, the blonde became a typhoon of movement. Every clone that held a sword hurled it with all their might, the massive swords hurtling for the pale man who did his best to dodge and avoid only for shuriken to start flying at him like rain from above.

Under the pressure of hundreds of sharp projectiles the man was forced to use reach deep into his skillset. He made a single hand sign and caught three shuriken to the body for his troubles. A veritable explosion of wind erupted from the man, throwing back all projectiles and making several puff into smoke.

So, he wasn't ready for the real Kubikiribōchō to cut him in half through his abdomen. The blonde landed at the feet of the dead man, staring down at him with a foreign look. That faded into shock when the man seeped into mud and became formless. Naruto's eyes widened and he barely spun in time to get a roundhouse kick to the chest, the blonde flying into Sakura with a crack.

"You truly are interesting, Naruto-kun!" The pale man gained a near psychotic grin as he stared at the trio.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked fearfully, noticing she was at the very least unconscious. "I said I would protect her!" He hissed to himself as his fist clenched.

"Words should not be said lightly, Naruto-kun." The man chided only for a stifling killing intent to flood the air, the blonde now off of the girl and snarling in his rage. His chest hissed steam and his body became encompassed in a bubbling red chakra. "Ah, the Kyūbi makes it's grand appearance!"

The man side stepped a vicious lunge from the rabid blonde who was now swinging and swiping like a creature possessed.

"You know," The man commented, dodging swipes and ducking kicks as he backpedaled from the corrosive chakra-enhanced blonde. "You were far more intimidating when you had control of yourself. A tip for the future." The man then slammed a glowing purple hand into the blonde's stomach.

Naruto went cross eyed in pain but glared hatefully into the man's eyes. He gripped the man's arm with his elongated claws and gnashed his teeth in his face in a similar meaning of a grin.

"SATSUKI!" Naruto roared, the pale man turning his head in time to see the dark-haired girl mere feet away.

**"Fire Style: Grand Fireball!"**

The man was practically blown away by the sheer force of the fire jutsu and Naruto ended up tumbling back, the man's arm cut off cleanly at the elbow.

"I believe that's enough games." The pale man returned in a flash of speed, stomping Naruto into the ground violently as the blonde coughed out blood. The man took back his arm and wrapped his hand around Satsuki's neck. "You can have a parting gift, for your admirable performance!" He hissed.

His neck elongated and his teeth sunk into the neck of the squirming girl. She screamed in agony as the sensation of liquid fire filled her veins.

"You are intelligent and skilled, I can give you the power you so desperately need." He said, the girl crumpling to the ground. "Congratulations you two, you were capable of cutting off the arm of Orochimaru of the Sannin. Quite the achievement.

"Just think how much more I could give you if you were to train under me."

The newly identified man spun and kneed Naruto in the stomach, the blonde having attempted to stab the man in the back. Naruto choked out saliva and groaned in pain but still slashed at the man's neck, nicking the side as he did so.

"My, you are skilled! Far more than I had anticipated. I quite enjoy your determination, Naruto-kun. I look forward to our next meeting." With that, the man let the two fall into balls on the ground. "As a reward for your valiant efforts and impressive tactics, I will give you yet another gift."

Naruto glared from the bark up at the man, attempting to rise as he did so.

"Your pain tolerance is impressive but it is getting quite tedious, Naruto-kun." The man easily impaled the blonde's heels with kunai, ignoring his screams of pain. "I suppose I will give you my gift now?" The man disappeared, reappearing behind Sakura in a burst of speed. "The removal of dead weight."

"No!" Naruto roared but it was in vain.

Her head rolled.

Naruto stared in mute horror, Orochimaru's hand was glowing with chakra and coated in blood from where it had sliced through her throat like butter.

"There is your gift, just as I was given all those years ago by an insurmountable foe. Perhaps now the two of you will be able to rise unhindered." And with that, Orochimaru of the Sannin was gone, melding into the bark as he left. Naruto felt the pain of tears begin to leak from his eyes at the sight of Sakura's body.

He roared out his anguish as the pain in his ankles became a numbing one. He turned his head and saw that Satsuki had passed out, a burning red mark on her neck wriggling like a living thing. He huffed and puffed, sobbing like a child as he stared at the corpse of one teammate and the unconscious form of the other.

He sniffled a few more times before he tried to make a clone yet nothing came other than a gut wrenching pain from where Orochimaru had hit him in the stomach. He bit back another cry of pain as he grit his teeth, flipping himself onto his back despite the pain in his ankles.

He leaned down and took three deep breathes before jerking out the kunai in his left heel, blood now oozing from the wound in his heel. He screamed in pain and he could have cried in relief as what remained of his clones appeared around them, near a hundred in number.

Their exclamations of surprise, sadness, and pain were well heard by the blonde.

"G-Get over here!" He exclaimed, fresh tears trailing down his cheeks as he began to wrap his left ankle in the bindings he'd gotten with the pouch when he bought it. "Set up a perimeter!" He turned to see some ANBU landing not far away.

"We cannot help you in this exam but we will take your teammate taken care of." The two men said, wrapping Sakura in a large white blanket that the blood instantly began seeping through. Naruto didn't even have the chance to talk to them before they were gone, taking any proof Sakura had ever existed with them.

He let out a choke of anguish as he stared at his lap.

"OROCHIMARU! I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND RIP YOU APART!"

Naruto roared to the skies as he panted, the pain and exhaustion becoming encompassing as his vision began to fade.

"Protect... us."

* * *

Naruto woke with a gasp at the feeling of being killed swam through him, the memories of all of his clones popping at once enough of a jolt to wake him up. They had all been forcefully popped by Kakashi. He snapped his head to the side and saw Satsuki on a bed like him.

She looked awful, pale and sweaty while constantly writhing in the bed. He peeled off the comforter he was under and saw his ankles heavily bandaged as well as his chest. The pain was no longer there and he looked down at his stomach, noticing the deep purple marks Orochimaru had left were no longer there.

His teeth gnashed at the thought of the man, his face twisting in a visage of snarling anger even as tears leaked from his eyes. He could feel the familiar bubbling anger swelling in him, his pain and suffering becoming numb under the feeling of power that came with his anger.

"Naruto." A stern voice said, the blonde's feral visage snapping up to see the Hokage as well as his teacher in the doorway. "I understand the loss of your teammate hurts, but I implore you to calm down."

"I'll kill him, Old Man! He deserves it!" The Hokage did not waver.

"The Chūnin Exams often have death involved. I understand it hurts, but one brutal Genin does not-"

"IT WASN'T A GENIN!" Naruto roared, catching the man off-guard. "It was Orochimaru!" He hissed. The two men in the doorway stiffened to boards as their gaze snapped to Satsuki's neck, the black mark visible. "He said it was a gift! That it was the removal of dead weight!" He hissed, his teeth elongating and his hair becoming thicker.

"Naruto. I understand your pain. But I need you to calm down. You're making Satsuki worse." Kakashi said and like the wind going out of sails, Naruto's anger left. He turned to his teammate, seeing her face scrunched up in pain and fear made his anger ebb away into nothing.

"You're sure that his name was Orochimaru." Hiruzen asked as Naruto looked at the ground in anger and pain, clenching his sheets so tight you would think they'd rip. He just gave a solitary nod, not trusting his voice to not break. With a swish of robes, the aged leader left and Kakashi was left alone with his two students.

The man silently shut the door behind him and walked into the room, taking a seat at the end of Naruto's bed.

"I lost my teammates in the Third Great War." Naruto's teary gaze snapped to his sensei who was staring at Satsuki's neck, at the black mark. "One died protecting me and the other ran in front of one of my jutsu, I killed her."

The tension and silence in the room was thick, the two quiet as Naruto's grip on the sheets slackened and his anger went away; only pain remaining.

"I understand your pain, Naruto. I have felt the pain of their loss ever since and I always will. I have walked the path of vengeance, avenging my teammates and living off of hatred." The man said morosely. "The feeling afterwards, the feeling of not knowing why you're alive. It's not worth it, Naruto. It's far too bitter."

"He can't just get away with it." The boy croaked as his tears streamed freely.

"No. But that does not mean you need to give him the satisfaction of devoting your life to him. He's already ruined one life, don't let him take yours away too." A choking noise came from the blonde and Kakashi wrapped his arm around his sole male student, tucking the boy under his arm.

"It hurts so much." The blonde whispered as Kakashi let a single tear trek down from his eye.

"It always does, Naruto."

"We pressured her into this. It's our fault. She said she wasn't ready. We could have waited." The blonde babbled into the man's vest and Kakashi pat his back.

"It's not anyone's fault other than Orochimaru's. None of you could have possibly been ready for him. Even I can't beat Orochimaru for sure." The man held out a scroll, extending it so both could see it. "This is your sword. I'm not sure what you're thinking right now but I think a sense of familiarity is good."

The blonde nodded numbly as he took the scroll, running it over his hands as he looked down at it.

"The Jōnin sensei are only allowed to be here for an hour to congratulate their team. You guys did well, your clones brought you here as the second team. You have three days until the preliminaries, I'll see you then. For now, rest." The man gave one last squeeze to the son of his teacher before rising and making for the door.

"Kakashi-sensei?" The man stopped in his tracks. "Does it ever get easier?" The man's head hung at the words.

"I don't know."

And he left, the room falling into silence once more.

* * *

It was another two days of loneliness that Naruto had to stand by himself. He hardly left the room, a caretaker coming by occasionally to check on Satsuki. There had been the proctor from the first exam who had come to ask for a report on the fight that Naruto had to give incomplete since he wasn't there for the whole fight.

Near noon of the second day she woke up while he was playing Shōgi against his clone. Her coughing is what got his attention, the girl trying to sit up. The clone puffed into smoke as Naruto leapt to her aide. He helped push her into a seating position and she didn't even fight him on it. He poured her some water and handed her the glass.

"Hey." He said lamely, the girl giving him a flat stare over the rim of her cup.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was..." She began to rub at the mark on her neck, feeling the oddly velvety skin there.

"Well. He bit you and then you went unconscious and he sealed my chakra." Something Ibiki had managed to supply. "And then... he killed Sakura-chan." He said slowly, his head dipping at the words. The room was silent for a few moments before Satsuki sighed.

She groaned as she slouched forward, her head in her hands as she did so. The two were silent for some time before the silence was yet again broken.

"How long was I out?" She finally asked, Naruto's head snapping at her, scandalized.

"How long... Sakura-chan's dead and that's what you ask!" The girl gave him a dark glare in return.

"I watched my entire clan be murdered by my brother for hours." She snarled at him, black flames creeping up her neck. "Over, and over, and over, and over again! I don't cry anymore at loss! I shed all my tears years ago!"

"That doesn't mean you get to not care!" He roared, standing and she did the same.

"Not all of us wear our emotions on our damn sleeve!" She shouted back, black flames edging up the side of her face. She swung at his face and clocked him in the jaw. His surprise lasted only for a moment before his leg lashed out and tripped her. He leapt on her and she easily kicked him off.

"We're the reason she's dead, you should feel shame!" He shouted at her, once more grappling with her to the ground. He got on top of her only for her to flip them with a quick punch to his sternum. She held her forearm to his neck and snarled in his face.

"She said she was ready! I shouldn't take the blame for her being weak!" Naruto growled at her words and kneed her in the stomach, flipping them over with his hand around her throat.

"We said we would protect her! We failed!" He hissed as she snarled back at him.

"We shouldn't have to protect her!" The girl shouted back, a single tear leaking from her right eye. Naruto was so shocked that his grip loosened and she once more flipped them to where she was on top. "Teammates are supposed to be equal! She should have tried harder! She should have been better!"

A surprising wave of understanding flooded over Naruto and he set his jaw, shrugging the forearm on his throat off as he flipped them once more, this time pinning her limbs and not her neck.

"No, you shouldn't've." Satsuki visibly recoiled, the black flames edging away as she stared at him in momentary shock. The emotion was quickly covered in anger as she struggled against his grip.

"Not me, her! As if I would take the blame for someone like her!" She squirmed and thrashed, slapping and kicking at the blonde. His grip shifted and she used the chance as a way to escape but it was not a way to escape, it was a tighter snare.

He wrapped around her like a monkey on a branch and his arms wrapped around her back and his face in her neck. She became stock still at the feeling of being pseudo-hugged.

"Kakashi-sensei came in. He said even he wouldn't have been able to beat Orochimaru. That dude is an S-ranked missing-nin. We couldn't have beaten him, no matter what. It's not our fault." His voice reverberated through her, words vibrating against her skin.

"How does that matter? I'm an Uchiha! I have a Sharingan! I should be able to-"

"You don't have to carry everyone on your shoulders." He muttered into her skin as he raised his head, locking eyes with her and giving her a lop-sided smile. "We're teammates, we share the burden, ya know? I'm not letting you do all that by yourself, believe it."

His odd catchphrase reared it's head and Naruto thudded his head against hers, their foreheads thudding as he smiled down at her.

"You're pretty dumb for a prodigy if you think I'm gonna watch you suffer alone." Her expression looked conflicted for a little bit before she relaxed, slackening in his arms as he smirked.

"Shut up." She muttered softly.

"I don't think they need cheering up." A sarcastic voice said from the doorway and before Naruto could even look up, he'd been kicked off of Satsuki and onto his bed by said girl.

"Rude!" He called out at her as he sat up, seeing most of their graduating class. It would always stay most... The thought saddened him slightly but he found himself coming to odd terms with it. "Wassup?" He asked with a shaky smile as the most of their graduating class walked in, Satsuki returning to her usual scowl as she sat on her bed.

"We just thought you guys might need some cheering up but it seems-" Shikamaru was cut off by a more recluse Ino who slapped him around the back of the head.

"Stop being a pain." She didn't even use her usual boisterous voice.

"Ino... I'm sorry about Sakura-chan." Naruto said slowly, an oddly forlorn expression on his face.

"I'm sorry too." Ino said in a surprising show of maturity as a silence came over the usually loud group of children.

It lasted for several moments before Naruto was the one who broke it with a clap and a grin. "Alright, who wants to talk about how much butt they kicked?"

Everyone could tell it was a fake smile but everyone followed his lead, their mood bolstering as Kiba got the ball rolling.

"We kicked some big butt! There were these guys from Ame and they tried to attack Akamaru but Akamaru bit one and I punched the others and we whooped 'em!" Kiba said with a fist-pump.

"Kiba is not telling the truth. Why? Because it was a combined effort betwixt the three of us that allowed us to overcome the group of Ame shinobi." Kiba groaned and the group all chuckled as he got into a bickering matchwith Shino.

The pain was ebbing.

* * *

"I hear that my adorable students are being naughty." Kakashi said, entering the shared room of Satsuki and Naruto and the two were playing Shōgi with the blonde surprisingly winning. The man plucked a shuriken out of the air mere inches from his face, thrown by an aggravated Uchiha. "It would seem Naruto hasn't given you enough relaxation."

"You're such a perv, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto grumbled with a slight blush as he moved another piece. "Hah, I win!" The board was slapped aside as the pieces scrambled across the room.

"Those kunoichi classes did more harm than good." She muttered as she lurched to her feet. "Are we leaving now? This idiot is driving me crazy." The blonde gave a cheeky grin behind her back, the girl mule kicking him as he did so. "See?"

"Well, today you are leaving this room, yes. But first," He interrupted their momentary movement towards the door. "I first have to put a seal on that." He pointed at a spot on her neck as she put a hand on it.

"I feel fine."

"I'm sure you do. Jiraiya-sama says it's a seal made for Orochimaru to control and possess those who have it, it's supposed to not feel bad." The girl's eyes widened at his words. "The more you use it, the more Orochimaru controls you. So it would really be better to seal it now rather than later."

The girl nodded, craning her neck for the man.

"Ah, you see for a seal this intricate I need quite a bit of writing space." Both teens blinked at him innocently. "You'll have to be topless." Both reared back in anger. "I can be professional when I want. You can even cover your chest if you wish, but no matter what it has to be sealed."

"And a pervert like you has to do it?" The girl asked with a raised brow.

"I could just knock you out and do it while you're unconscious." She shuddered at the thought. "There are three people in this village who can do it and I happen to be the youngest of them." Satsuki gagged. "I'm not into children Satsuki-chan, do not worry." The girl scowled fiercely at him.

"Idiot. Get out." Naruto squawked at her words. "I'm not having you in here, I don't want him in here." She jabbed a thumb at Kakashi as Naruto rubbed the back of his head and left the room. "You'll have no eyes if I even think you look."

Meanwhile, Naruto was out in the hall twiddling his thumbs as he leaned against the wall. The blonde had been getting rather pent up, feeling his energy and chakra wanting to explode like a bottle holding too much water. He felt a familiar feeling of anger and lethal intent and turned his head, seeing that familiar redhead standing at the end of the hall.

"You... You escaped me." The boy rasped as he faced the blonde.

"Nah, you just never had me." Naruto said with a smirk as he pushed off the wall. "You seemed kinda scary back then. Not so much anymore." The redhead's eyes narrowed as his teammates turned the corner, clearly recognizing the blonde barely.

"Gaara, the exams are starting back up." The redhead didn't even twitch at the voice of his blonde teammate.

"Mother wants your blood. What's your name." It was not a question. Naruto grinned as he held up a peace symbol.

"Uzumaki Naruto, looking forward to meeting your mom." Gaara grinned savagely at the words, the cork of the massive gourd on his back popping as sand began to drift in the air.

"You can meet her now." The maniacal boy rasped as his sand coiled like a snake. Naruto gave his own foxy grin, undoing the scroll in a familiar move and popping the massive cleaver onto his shoulder, seeing the shock in the eyes of his teammates.

"I'm right here." Gaara extended an arm and his sand darted forward like an animal given an order, zipping through the air with amazing speed. Naruto saw the way for him to release his energy and ran forward to meet the sand with a megawatt grin.

"You're nothin' compared to the snake bastard!" The blonde slid under the tendril of sand, sliding forward on his knees and wading around the tendril that darted out. He slapped away another tendril and leapt high, massive cleaver gleaming in the florescent light as he arched to slice down with tremendous force.

An arm wrapped around the blonde and he was on the other end of the hall, a firm hand on his shoulder and his sword impaled in the ground.

"Save such youthful energy for the exams!" A blinding smile met the blonde as the leotard-wearing man turned to regard the Genin trio on the other end of the hall. "Yosh, I enjoy seeing such competitive spirit! I look forward to your fights!" Gaara looked livid but a clearing of a throat drew his attention.

A man with a white cloth covering half his face and a Suna headband was staring at the trio of Genin. Gaara looked upset for a long while before turning back to face Naruto with a cold visage.

"Mother is still thirsty, Uzumaki Naruto." The boy said in lieu of a farewell.

"And I'm still itching to show you Uzumaki Might!" The blonde said with a wave, jerking his tall sword out of the ground and resealing it. Gaara's teammates were looking at Naruto as though he were a ghost as the quartet left. "Nice to meetcha..."

"I am Konoha's Green Beast; Might Guy! A pleasure to meet you Naruto-kun!" The man was loud and eccentric and Naruto grinned at his personality.

"Hey, are you related to a kid who looks just like you?" The man puffed up in pride.

"That is my disciple, Rock Lee!" Naruto nodded slowly.

"He hits hard. Popped one of my clone's real hard." The man gave a bright smile.

"You are one of Kakashi's students, are you not?" The man asked loudly.

"Do you know Kakashi-sensei?" The man boomed out a belly laugh as he put his hands on his belt headband. The door to their side swung open revealing Satsuki and Kakashi. They looked at the mild destruction of the hallway and looked at the duo.

"Good morning, my Eternal Rival!" Kakashi gave a peace sign to the bowl cut man. "I was walking to the preliminary exams when I saw your student engaging in a youthful encounter with a Suna ninja! I decided to watch over him until you returned!" The man was loud.

"You were alone five minutes." Satsuki said with a dry glare that Naruto met with a head scratch.

"Sorry?" She still slapped him around the back of the head. "What are these preliminary matches, Guy-san?"

"Ah, that's where we're going right now." Kakashi intervened, leading the others down the hall. "When too many people pass the second stage they hold a preliminary exam to thin the herd a bit." Naruto frowned.

"Time is money." Satsuki chipped in from beside the blonde who looked over and saw that the mark now had a strange semi-circle around it. He caught her annoyed gaze and gave a sheepish chuckle, ducking his head from the slap that never came.

"Yep!" Kakashi said cheerfully. "For the tournament we can't have dozens of matches, we couldn't waste everyone's time like that and it would just be rude. Instead, the group gets thinned to a maximum of fourteen Genin and then they pass onto the final exam."

"So, Guy-san. What kinda students do you have?" The man gave a smirk to the blonde.

"Now, now, Naruto-kun. I will not so readily give away my student's secrets to a potential opponent." The blonde sheepishly chuckled once more as they entered a massive room that contained the other students. "Kakashi, let's go!"

The man then leapt up onto the balcony that overlooked the massive room on their side.

"Good luck. Come up to the balcony when they're done." He gave them both a pat on the shoulder and hopped up onto the balcony in the same manner Guy had. The two made their way over to the rows of Genin teams and the fact that they are the only one with two was an elephant in the room.

There was a massive bust of two arms making the ram sign. The floor in front of the bust was a step higher than the rest and there stood the Hokage as well as their previous proctors and another man.

"Good morning and congratulations for making it past the second stage of these Chūnin Exams. Despite this accomplishment, not all of you will be progressing onto the next exam. I will allow your new proctor, Gekkō Hayate to explain." The aged Hokage walked away as the unknown man stepped up.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." The man gave a small cough that almost seemed polite but a bit too harsh. "As Hokage-sama said, not all of you will progress to the third exam. We cannot have matches for an entire day and waste the time of our Daimyō. So, we are going to have preliminary matches." The man coughed once more.

"If there is anyone that does not wish to continue, speak up now." No one said anything for a while before a raised hand rose. "Name?" Hayate asked as he flipped a page on his clipboard.

"Yakushi Kabuto."

"Reason?"

"I hurt my ankle in the second stage and it hasn't healed right." Naruto gave a scowl at the teenager, he'd literally had his ankle impaled but is competing. But, he has the Kyūbi.

"You're dismissed." The teenager walked away and left the large room. "If there is no other delays, we will continue." No one rose their hand or said anything. "Now, since there are now twenty-five of you, one person will have a bye to the third exam.

"The rules are as follows. One person will win if their opponent is no longer able to continue or surrenders. If I call a match then it is over. If a match is interrupted then whoever was winning at the time wins the match." Several grumbled but none said a thing.

"Now, everyone other than those said on the board; go join your teammate." The man gestured to a newly revealed electronic board on the wall. A cycle of names spun by before it was revealed to be two people. "Akadō Yoroi against Uchiha Satsuki."

"See ya in the finals." Naruto said with a foxy grin, patting her on the head and leaping back and away from the retaliatory strike.

"You can run but you can't outrun me." She said with a fierce glare that he returned with his snicker. The blonde leapt onto the balcony to join his teacher.

"You know anything about the shades guy, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm, doesn't seem familiar. He made it here though, he might have a few tricks up his sleeve." The silver-haired man said with a non committal shrug as he continued to read his book.

"Ready?" Hayate asked, seeing both nod as he coughed lightly. "Begin." The man jumped back and out of the way as Yoroi slid forward while Satsuki palmed kunai. She let loose three that the man slipped around.

"Too slow!" The man said as he leapt onto Satsuki, his hand clasping her forehead and his other hand grabbing her forearm as he pinned her to the ground. His hands began sapping visible bright blue chakra from the girl. "Your chakra is rich!"

She grunted in pain at the feeling, trying to pull off the arm and not finding herself able to. She fought through the pain and jabbed a kunai into the elbow of the hand sapping at her hand. The teen cried out in pain at the kunai in his elbow as he leapt away and off of her.

He left the knife in his elbow, the blood barely dribbling out while the arm went stiff. Satsuki drew another three kunai and began racing for the man even as he made a hand sign.

"Why isn't she using any fireballs or anything?" Naruto asked his teacher as he watched the fight.

"That seal reacts to chakra use, the more she uses the worse it gets."

"So what, she's just never gonna use it again?" Kakashi hummed at his words.

"Jiraiya-sama is researching the seal extensively, I am sure he'll come to a result soon." Naruto grumbled as he returned his attention to the fight.

"He better."

The man spat out a vicious bullet of earth from his mouth that Satsuki used as a spring, leaping over it and throwing her kunai at the man. He stepped in between the quartet of kunai but saw the shiny wire connecting them too late. They pinned him to the ground viciously and he grunted in pain at the knife in his arm.

"Winner, Uchiha Satsuki." Hayate didn't even hesitate to call the match. Satsuki instantly turned, an arrogant smirk on her lips as she leapt onto the balcony beside her team.

"Well done." Kakashi said with a closed eye smile.

"Yeah, well d-" Satsuki slammed his head into the iron railing in front of him.

"You can't outrun karma." She said, leaning against the railing as she watched the board for the next match. She lost her footing as a hand forced her leg out from under her and she ended up sitting like Naruto with her legs over the edge.

"Arrogant prick." Naruto grumbled as he laid his chin on folded arms, leaning against the railing.

"Dead Last."

"Queen Coward."

"King Idiot."

"You know," Kakashi intoned with a smile over the edge of his book. "Kings and Queens are married rulers."

"You're a lonely pervert trying to force your fantasies onto children." Kurenai chimed in from the side, looking at him with crossed arms and a scowl as Shino went down to fight a boy from Oto; Abumi Zaku.

"Or I am a teacher that's realized his students will either end up killing each other or mating like rabbits!" He said with a raised finger which caused Asuma to snort. Kurenai rounded on him and he tried his best to make it sound like it had been a cough, choking on smoke as he did so.

"Mating like rabbits?" Naruto asked, oblivious entirely to the saying.

"I envy your idiocy." Satsuki said with a light blush and a powerful scowl.

"Rude." Naruto said as the two watched the matches. Shino won against his opponent by clogging his jutsu with his bugs and the boy blew his own arms up. The next match was Yoroi's teammate against the teammate of Gaara's.

It was pretty quick as the guy captured Kankurō only Kankurō then turned into a puppet and captured the Misumi guy. Then it was Ino against Tenten and it was pretty one-sided when Tenten didn't even let Ino make a hand sign to do her clan's jutsu.

It finished when Ino surrendered as she was covered in ninja wire and surrounded by shuriken. Then it was Gaara's other teammate; Temari against another Oto Genin; Kin. Kin seemed to have some kind of super technique that involved senbon but they kept getting blown away by Temari and ended up with Kin getting hit in the head by Temari's fan.

Then, it was Shikamaru against Hinata and it wasn't even really a match. Hinata just avoided for a while before Shikamaru caught her in his shadow and made her surrender. Then it was Neji against Kiba and it was actually the longer match because Kiba kept running around and using smoke and things.

It ended when Neji caught Akamaru and threatened the dog. Kiba had to surrender and there was a bunch of grumbling about how Neji won. And then, there was that Kiri team and a team from Kumo that managed to get through.

Naruto scrunched up his nose at the sight of a bland-faced Kiri-nin facing against an angry-looking Kumo-nin. The Kumo-nin was using some type of short-sword and the Kiri-nin was using odd kunai.

"Naruto, you're dislike is showing." Kakashi intoned lightly as he watched his student with a lone eye, book held lazily.

"They're all pricks." Naruto grumbled.

"Just like the example you're setting for Konoha right now?" The blonde huffed but said nothing further. "Both Kumo's Raikage and Kiri's new Mizukage were not the leaders that acted upon Uzushio. They have done nothing to you."

The blonde clearly felt different but didn't say anything as he scowled. The fight started and the Kiri-nin started using a range of whipping water jutsu and the Kumo-nin was busy trying to get close. It was a rather short sighted fight that ended up having the Kumo-nin win just because the Kiri-nin tired himself out.

Naruto's hackles really rose when the teal-haired boy from before came out, a light expression on his face.

"I hadn't thought they would already have started reforming the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the new Mizukage's only been in for what; a few months?" Asuma commented as he lit a new cigarette.

"There won't be a Seven Ninja Swordsmen anymore." Naruto grit out as he gripped the iron railing in front of him. The boy, now identified as Chōjurō, was against Chōji. He even seemed polite to the rotund boy, giving him a bow and a sheepish smile.

"Now, now, Naruto. Now isn't the time for philosophical debates."

"It isn't a debate!" The blonde snapped back as Chōji began to grow larger and roll around the young swordsmen who now wielded the large, wrapped weapon. Chōji spun in place and began rolling with great speed towards Chōjurō, the teen much smaller than the massive ball of Akimichi strength.

 **"Hiramekarei Unleashing!"** The bandages snapped off of the weapon and began to coat it in visible chakra, the translucent blue shaping and changing as it did so. It formed into a gigantic hammer, the likes of which seen in blacksmith shops as the boy took an odd position.

He used the massive sword as a bat and when Chōji neared, he swung. The massive hammer slammed into the rotund Akimichi with surprising solidity, and even more impressive power. Chōji was actually forced back several feet and was skid to a stop in place.

"That thing's gotta have some power. I can't stop that boy with a damn mud wall." Asuma muttered as Chōji shook his head to clear it, more than likely concussed from the blow.

"Akimichi-san, please surrender. Hiramekarei is not a gentle weapon." That seemed to spur the large Akimichi on as he retook his spinning motion, once more spinning forward like a massive wheel. Chōjurō once more took the same stance as he readied himself.

As Chōji came in range once more though, the Konoha shinobi undid his technique, flying into the air and slamming his hands down on top of Chōjurō. A massive splat sounded out and Chōji pulled his hands back, covered in water.

He turned just in time to be slammed in the side with that same massive hammer, throwing the Akimichi like he was a rag doll into a nearby wall; spiderweb cracks emerging from his impact. Chōjurō picked back up the canteen from the floor as he did so.

Chōji had literal stars in his eyes and his enlarging jutsu canceled as he fell onto his back.

"Winner: Chōjurō of Kiri."

Naruto was visibly seething as he stared at Chōjurō rewrapping his sword while walking back upstairs to the opposite balcony. A cuff on the back of the head from Satsuki made him angry but in a different manner and distracted him from his previous anger.

The next few moments were spent watching Chōji get taken to the infirmary and the air became lighter again. Satsuki ribbed Naruto for several moments.

"I bet you paid the board to not call your name, huh? Scaredy cat. Big Scaredy cat. Big coward." She teased with a stuck out tongue. Naruto's face scrunched up at her words as he leaned back.

"Kakashi-sensei! I haven't gone yet! I'm super bored and Satsuki's saying I'm a coward! I'm not a coward Sensei, I promise!" The blonde whined as Kakashi nodded.

"I am aware, Naruto. Turn your attention to the board." The blonde looked at the board and saw his name.

"YEAH!"

"YOSH!"

The two turned to each other and Naruto grinned as he leapt down as the other guy did too, the one in leotard spandex and insanely bushy eyebrows.

"Yo! Mini-Guy!" The teen gave a dazzling smile at the words. "Nah, I like Guy Two better."

"It would seem you know both my sensei and I but, I am afraid I have not gotten your own name." The leotard-wearing youth was oddly polite.

"Uzumaki Naruto, your future Hokage. Nice to meet ya." The bowl cut boy bowed and Naruto did the same, surprisingly.

"Rock Lee, Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast! It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Naruto-kun." Naruto gave a foxy grin as he laid out his scroll.

"Let's rock, Lee!" Pained silence filled the large room before the opposing Genin gave a loud belly laugh much like his teacher.

"Yosh, let us fight to our fullest and have our youth shimmer!" Lee declared as he took a pose. A puff of smoke signified Naruto's hefting the massive sword in the air, amazingly balanced despite his small stature. He made eye contact with Chōjurō, the boy glaring at the massive cleaver.

"Ready?" Hayate asked as the two nodded. "Begin!" Before Hayate had even left the area, Lee had crossed the distance had kicked at Naruto only for his strike to be blocked with the flat end of the massive cleaver. The boy used it as a springboard to launch himself back.

"I see, you are not as immobile as you appear, Naruto-kun." Naruto grinned, crossing his fingers despite the sword in one hand.

"Don'tcha know? I'm the most unpredictable ninja in Konoha!" Over a dozen shadow clones came into experience and they all dashed for Lee with swords swinging. The boy masterfully avoided them all and either kicked away or flat out punched the clones. Naruto kept the clones coming, his grin growing as he did it.

"That's clearly not working." Shikamaru chimed in from the side as he watched.

"As a matter of fact, it is." Asuma said as he watched the blonde wince every few moments. "Shadow clones send their memories to the user. He is memorizing every way the clones get hit."

"He's memorizing Lee's fighting pattern..." Neji said with a furrowed brow as he watched the fight. "That is futile, Lee's strength is not his style but his speed."

"That is true, yet, Naruto can also remember how quick he is hit by Lee." Kakashi intoned as he watched the fight fully. "With enough shadow clones, he can have the same effects of a Sharingan."

And true to their words, the clones were starting to avoid the blows ever so slightly off of memory and not reaction.

"That does not change the fact he is not fast enough." Kurenai said as Kakashi nodded.

"True. But to be fair, Naruto's always been a quantity over quality." Kakashi commented.

"Not to mention the idiot's healing." Kakashi hummed in response as Asuma lit another cigarette.

"Healing? Didn't know he was into healing jutsu."

"Wrong kind of healing." Kakashi said as he tucked away his book. "Would you believe he was stabbed through both heels not three days ago?" Asuma let out a low whistle at the words. "His body heals faster than any jutsu. It will truly be an interesting match."

"Interested in something for once, I see." Kurenai muttered as she crossed her arms.

"I am interested in what is interesting." Kakashi returned lazily.

Lee huffed slightly as all the clones around him went up in smoke.

"I only had another three for my goal, Naruto-kun!" The teen said jokingly as he readied himself.

"Sorry, I finally figured out how to beat ya." Naruto said as he gripped his sword tightly.

"Oh? Then please, let us continue!" The bushy-browed boy dashed for Naruto, crossing the space in moments as he leapt into a flying kick for the blonde. His speed and momentum was great, just as Naruto had planned. A puff of smoke and the blonde had substituted with his own sword, the edge facing Lee's leg in a dangerous maneuver.

No one in the room was expecting for the blade to crack against the teen's leg warmers. A dull ringing ran through the room as Lee came to a stop, the massive cleaver falling to the ground uselessly as it split in half.

"I am sorry for your sword, Naruto-kun. It was a good plan and I applaud you for your tactics." The boy raised his palm in a ready pose. "But, I am afraid, I will be the winner." The shiny-haired boy said.

"Oh, really?" The blonde did not seem distraught at the breaking of his sword. "I guess I can't convince you that you already lost then, huh?" Naruto asked with a foxy grin. Lee's eyes widened in shock and he spun but found nothing out of place. He smelled smoke and saw his leg warmer wrapped in explosive tags.

The teen quickly threw the massive leg warmer away and it exploded mid-air. It then continued falling and slammed into the ground with the impact of a meteor. Lee then turned to Naruto and gave the gaping boy a bright smile.

"That was wonderfully done, Naruto-kun! I hope-" He suddenly had to duck and dodge under kunai and shuriken as the blonde tried to smother him.

"You're probably super messed up in your weight!" Naruto hollered as a storm of blondes raced at Lee. "Bet you can barely even jog!"

His words were true as Lee did an awkward stumble hobble hybrid to avoid the many kunai and shuriken, lashing out with solely his fists at the nearby clones.

"Lee! Use whatever you have to to win!" Gai called as he grinned brightly.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee jumped as far away as he could and got a kunai to the shoulder and two shuriken to the thigh but got off the other leg warmer. "Here I go!" One second he was there, the next he was across the arena and kicking and punching every clone systematically.

"He's losing." Satsuki commented as she watched the fight.

"Naruto is indeed losing at the moment." Kakashi replied.

And it was true, the blonde was rapidly losing clones and not able to keep up. But, he was not entirely incapable.

"Found you!" Lee declared as he kicked the true Naruto in the back, sending him rolling across the arena floor. Naruto rolled to his feet and barely blocked a kick to the chest. It still sent him reeling as did the three punch combo.

He batted Naruto around like a pin ball and Hayate looked close to calling the match, the blonde getting absolutely demolished by the far faster Genin. Lee kicked Naruto particularly hard and rocketed him into the nearby wall, smoke and dust flying.

"I am sorry Naruto-kun, but this is as far as you go in the Chūnin Exam!" The teen rocketed forward with yet another kick even as steam emerged alongside a burst of chakra.

"Kakashi." The man hummed in affirmative as his headband was slid up.

Lee flew into the dust so fast that the impact made the dust fly away. What resulted was Naruto holding his foot and grinning savagely. His whiskers were thick and his fangs long with his hair lengthened and his claws sharp. Lee tried to jerk his leg free but Naruto's grip was steel despite the steaming healing in it.

"Nah, I'm going way farther." Naruto brought his other hand around and used his claws to slash the back of Lee's extended knee open, blood spurting along the stone as he let go of the bushy-browed foe. Lee hopped back quickly, his right leg dripping blood as he did so while Naruto pulled himself out of the wall.

"He seems in control." Kakashi said lowly as he stiffened. "But be ready, Guy."

"Ah, were you holding out on me, Naruto-kun?" The teen asked as he hopped on one foot, his other dripping blood. "Then I suppose I must match your strength with my own!" The Genin made a hand sign, much to many people's amazement.

 **"Gate of Opening: Release!"** A green aura surrounded the boy, looking almost sentient as it shifted around him. His face was terse and his fists firm.

 **"Gate of Healing: Release!"** The blood on his right leg floated into the air before evaporating in the powerful aura surrounding the teen.

**"Gate of Life: Release!"**

"Yeah Lee! LET'S ROCK!" Naruto roared with a cackle before he was rocketed across the stadium, tumbling and bumbling before being kicked into the air before he had even finished. He was then bounced around in the air just like he was on the ground previously.

"T-this is..." Chōji started as he watched the fight he couldn't see, only felt.

"Out of our league!" Kiba finished as all of the rookies began to sweat under the immense power.

"Reverse Lotus!" Lee's distorted voice announced as the speed with which he kicked Naruto increased rapidly.

"This is getting out of hand." Asuma said as he watched the fight to the best of his ability. "I can barely keep up."

"I can't." Kurenai admitted as she watched the blurs in the air.

Time seemed to stand still as Lee wrapped his bandages around Naruto and had him wrapped tight. Everyone saw them become suspended in the air as Lee begin to spin tightly.

 **"Reverse Lotus: RELEASE!"** The glowing boy roared as he delivered and absolutely vicious ax kick to Naruto's front, rocketing the boy into the ground with earth-shaking strength. Lee fluttered to the ground as the arena became silent. A different roar became audible as Kakashi held back Satsuki, the girl glaring at Lee with a burning hatred.

Lee let go of his gates before the dust had settled, raising one leg up slightly as he stood to the side of the impact radius.

"Winner-" Hayate was cut off by a palpable feeling in the air. Lee turned to see the dust begin glowing red.

 **"The winner?"** A deep, foreign voice asked from the dust as it began to glow darker and darker. **"Shouldn't you know better than to call it before the match is over, Proctor-san?"** The voice said from seemingly nowhere.

Lee jumped away only for a limb to snap out and catch him by the throat before he could escape. The limb was glowing red and black. Lee choked and writhed under the corrosive chakra and painful grip. Out of nowhere, a massive black staff slammed into the dust and made the figure fly away to be seen clear.

 **"Ah, Monkey."** The voice said as it became clear. It was not Naruto. It was a bastardized version of the blonde with three tails of bubbling chakra and an unfamiliar look on his face. The entirety of the Jōnin in the room fell to the ground in a semi-circle in front of the Jinchūriki

"Monster! Let him go!" The blonde grinned savagely as his chakra cloak went away, only red slit eyes and black sclera remained.

 **"Let him go? Need I remind you that you helped put me in this vessel?"** The deep voice rumbled. The Konoha-nin brandished weapons. **"Fine. I will return to my abode. Just know, I am here because you forced him to turn to me for help. The Ninja of today are weak, it will not even be a fight when I escape.**

**"It'll be a feast."**

And with one last malicious smirk, the eyes shut and the body floated for a bit. Then, it fell back down like a puppet with clipped strings. The blonde groaned and opened his eyes slowly.

"I won, right?" Were the first words asked, no longer the deep voice that seemed to be heard but not spoken. The ninja facing him slowly eased as they let down their guard.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

"Naruto-kun, what did the Kyūbi do?" Were the first words out of Sarutobi's mouth as soon as he had the blonde in an enclosed room.

"When I hit the ground, I got knocked out. He took over, I guess he won the fight." Sarutobi frowned.

"Why, did it take over?" Naruto scrunched up his nose.

"Shouldn't you be looking for Orochimaru?" Hiruzen rose a brow at the blatant attitude from Naruto.

"I have ANBU and Hunter-nin scouring the village. Now, answer me."

"We have a deal..." Naruto said slowly as Hiruzen reared up.

"You cannot make a deal with a demon, Naruto! That monster killed your parents! You cannot so easily-"

"So what!?" Hiruzen reeled in surprise. "Yeah, it's a monster. Yeah, it killed my parents. Yeah, it made everyone hate me. But I'm stuck with it! The Yondaime put it in me and I'm stuck with it until I die!"

"That does not mean you have to make deals with it."

"What about the other Jinchūriki? I don't remember much about history but I remember that they were these insane weapons in war. If they can do it, why can't I?"

"The Kyūbi is different from it's brethren, it is more powerful and far more sinister. You cannot make a deal with it lightly."

"And you can't put it in a baby lightly!" The blonde shouted back, huffing in anger as he started pacing under the eye of the Hokage. "Why can all of you decide what I can or can't do? Why can't I make some decisions about my life!?"

"Because your decisions affect others, like they did to Lee-kun." Naruto pointed in the general direction of the arena.

"He would have killed me! The Kyūbi said he crushed most of my cerebral cortex! I don't even know what that is!" From the look on the Hokage's face, he knew what it was.

"So you would release a demon on him?"

"That's a part of our deal! He doesn't kill people while using my body."

"And what if he does kill people? What will you do to stop him?"

"I can change my mindscape." Hiruzen blinked at the words. "I can put him in so much pain, even if it isn't real. He knows it. So we made the deal."

"And what is this... deal?" Naruto frowned.

"I can't say it, that's part of the deal." The aged Hokage groaned as he palmed his face. "C'mon Old Man! I'm not gonna say he can destroy Konoha or say that he can eat my friends, we've got a good deal!"

"Does it involve the pain or death of anyone?"

"Yeah, but it's for a good reason!" The blonde tried to clarify. "All I can say Old Man, the Kyūbi didn't attack Konoha willingly." The blonde winced at seemingly nothing as he held a hand to his head. "He's really loud."

Hiruzen seemed to mull on these words as he stared at the blonde.

"Please Old Man, trust me." The blonde said as he looked up at the old man with determined eyes that made the man see phantasm's of the boy's parents with similar eyes. The aged man sighed heavily, sagging as he did so.

"Tell the... Kyūbi that something like what he did is not acceptable and there will be consequences I cannot stop if you do that in front of the village or the Daimyō." Naruto gave a bright grin and leapt at the man in a wide hug. Despite the reason the conversation happened, Hiruzen hugged him back with a smile.

The aged Hokage and boy stepped out of the room only for an Uchiha heiress to grab the blonde by the throat and throw him back in.

"Hokage-sama." She gave the man a short bow before slamming the door shut behind her. The aged man chuckled as he packed his pipe.

"Hokage-sama?" The man looked up to see many Jōnin in the hallway who were looking at the door in apprehension.

"It would seem that for the first time in history, the Kyūbi has reached an accord with a human." The entire hallway was silent as they looked at the man. "I do not know the facts but I am sure from what we have seen as well as what I have heard; the Kyūbi and Naruto-kun have come to a sense of a deal."

"A deal?" Some sounded justifiably incredulous.

"The other nations have made deals with their tailed beast's for decades, I think it's high time that Konoha does the same hm? Fear not, the seal is strong. He cannot escape. Have faith in our resident prankster." Many grumbled, more than likely remembering a prank the boy had played on them.

A scream of fear came from the room behind Hiruzen.

"Ah, young love." The hallway chuckled at his words as they began to disperse while they returned to the preliminary matches.

Meanwhile, in the room Naruto had woken up in days ago. Said blonde was against the wall with a hand around his throat and a knife mere centimeters away from his crotch.

"How long have you been able to do that?"

"Since the forest?" She actually poked his crotch with the knife. "Since the forest!" She did not pull away the sharp knife.

"How?"

"Kyūbi talked to me while I was unconscious for like a day and we had a long talk about stuff and I can't explain it 'cuz I'm under oath and pleaseremovethekunai!" The boy squeaked out as the girl glared at him under her Sharingan; knowing he was telling the truth.

She let go as the boy fell to the ground with a relieved sigh, putting a hand over his crotch protectively.

"Why would you make an oath with the Kyūbi?" She asked, crossing her arms as she stepped back.

"He's a massive lake of power and chakra inside of me, why wouldn't I?" He asked as the girl quirked her mouth to the side.

"Because he's killed hundreds of people if not thousands?"

"So have the Uchiha!" He shot back with a point, the girl's glare becoming biting.

"So does he just fight all of your battles for you?" He was going to reply then stopped, seemingly hearing something. "This is going to get annoying."

"Sorry, he said he won't fight you." She rose a brow at the words.

"A misogynistic fox, interesting."

"He said it's because of the Sharingan. He said he'll rip you apart if he is released on you." The girl blinked owlishly at that. "Hey, I'm just the middle guy. His words, not mine."

"O... kay. How much of this 'massive lake of power and chakra' can you use without going crazy like you did in there?"

"At the moment, only the stuff you saw in there when I went against Lee. Anymore and I kinda start going really out of control and Kyūbi can't stop it. Says it's because my body is so small." She frowned, barely an inch taller than the blonde.

"Your sword broke in half." The boy was gone like a maelstrom and she followed him at a more sedated pace. They then entered the arena and came to the sight of the last Kumo-nin darting around and a boy with a metal gauntlet trying to fight the athletic ninja.

"Did you two have fun alone time?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile, the two shards of the sword laid out in front of him

"Phew, you got the handle." Naruto said in relief, ignoring Kakashi's comments.

"It's a shame about the sword." Kiba said as he watched the blonde kneel over his blade.

"Nah, it's not." Without hesitation, the blonde gripped the handle half of the blade and used it's sharp edge to slice open his forearm like gutting a fish. Panicked exclamations and shouts surrounded him. He held his forearm over the blade and bled all over and to the shocked silence of the other people, the blade began to regenerate.

Naruto held Chōjurō's gaze, staring down the narrowed eyes of the Kiri-nin as he did so.

"What the hell..." Asuma muttered as he watched the gruesome scene. The sword was now to the small circle part of it's creation.

"Cool, huh." The sword finished growing and Naruto's arm began hissing steam, the teen stumbling slightly from such loss of blood as Kakashi stabilized him with a firm hand. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. I'm okay, just a lotta blood." The silver-haired man handed him a small red marble that the blonde quickly crunched and swallowed. "Thanks!"

"That was so cool!" Kiba exclaimed as he hefted up the broken end of the blade and grunted at the weight. "What the hell, Naruto? How do you even swing this thing?"

"Why do you think I always swing down? It's all gravity. I can't even hold it straight." As if to prove his point, the blonde tried to hold the blade out straight but it quivered and wobbled. "So yeah, I'm just waiting for Kakashi-sensei to teach me some awesome weight training!"

"Guy is a master of it." The blonde wilted at the reminder of what he'd done to Lee. "Might as well go now, this fight will continue for a bit. Guy and Lee are in the infirmary." The blonde nodded slowly as he began the trek to the far side door of the tall room.

He entered quietly and bore witness to several ninja on white beds but caught sight of the familiar green at the far end. He slowly edge over until he was mere feet from the green beast's. Lee was resting on the bed and Guy was sat on the bed beside Lee's, staring at his pupil.

"Guy-san." He said quieter than he remembered ever talking. The man turned and caught sight of the shamed, sad gaze of Naruto. "I came to apologize- gah!" The blonde buckled under a clap to the shoulder from the tall man who engulfed the small blonde in a tight hug.

"Coming to apologize to your wounded comrade when what happened wasn't your fault. SO YOUTHFUL!" He said with a sniffle as he let go of the young Uzumaki. "There is no issue, Naruto-kun. Lee is aware that that was not you and I am sure he will forgive you just as I have!" The man said with a thumbs-up and beaming smile.

"O... kay." Naruto unironically mimicked the words of his teammate as he stared at the tall man. "If you're sure." The man nodded firmly. "Um... Guy-san. I didn't want to ask since you would probably be angry. But do you have anything to help with weight training?"

You would have thought the sun had emerged with the smile Guy gave.

* * *

Naruto stood in line with the other successful competitors, significantly heavier than he had been only ten minutes ago.

"Congratulations to the ten of you. Now, a month from today the ten of you will fight in a tournament bracket under the eyes of Konoha, your Kage, your Daimyō, even your friends and family. So, I implore each of you to work hard and to push yourselves in these upcoming weeks."

Naruto let an eye stray to the boy at the far end of the line, Gaara looked like he was practically frothing at the mouth with being the one with a bye to the third exam. When he had been gone, they had apparently done extra matches to dwindle the numbers down to ten.

"The matches will be as so. First match is Aburame Shino of Konoha against Hyūga Neji of Konoha. Second is Uchiha Satsuki of Konoha against Temari of Suna. Third is Gaara of Suna against Dosu of Oto. Fourth is Tenten of Konoha against Nara Shikamaru of Konoha. Finally, Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha against Chōjurō of Kiri."

Naruto grinned viciously, looking over several pairs of shoulders to see the bespectacled boy not far away.

"Good luck. I look forward to each of your matches."

The Genin dispersed and Naruto found himself dashing through the trees of the forest with Kakashi and Satsuki. The silence dragged on for quite a while before the blonde suddenly groaned.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?" Somehow, the man's hum was easily heard over the whipping winds.

"What are we doing for a month." Naruto found himself sweating under the strain of matching their pace with the heavy weights on his arms.

"Ah. Well, since I'm the only other person in the village with one, I'll be training Satsuki quite extensively under Sharingan uses. And I had been making a plan for you but Hokage-sama said that he had plans for you." Both teens looked at each other in confusion at his words.

"So the Old Man's teaching me?"

"Maybe."

Naruto gave a triumphant smirk to Satsuki who scowled at him in return. The trip out of the forest was far shorter than the one into it and they were soon out, Naruto groaning as he left the greenery of the forest.

"I have a predisposed arrangement. Meet at our usual spot at seven in the morning tomorrow. Later!" Their teacher was gone in a twisting cyclone of leaves and the two were left alone. Quiet reigned over them as Kakashi watched the clouds.

"What was Sakura-chan's favorite food?" He asked as he watched them go by.

"I... don't know."

"Me neither. I don't even know where she lived..." He mumbled as he watched white fluff graze through the air. "Some teammate I am." He blew out a breath as he shut his eyes. "You think she's on that stone that Kakashi-sensei showed us?"

"Maybe." Satsuki said, watching the blonde beside her warily.

"No one's even said her name since she died. Everyone's just acting like she never even existed." He said morosely, eye lids peeling open slowly to once more watch the sky. "Did she like watching the sky? Did she prefer summer or winter? Did she have any siblings?"

"Maybe."

"Is that all you can say!" He suddenly hissed, spinning as his eyes blazed. They met the cool visage of Satsuki, the girl's own dark eyes meeting his navy ones.

"You were closer to her than me. I never actively sought her in the academy or when we were on a team. What do you want from me?" The blonde sagged, digging his palms into his eyes as he sighed.

"I don't know." He whispered sadly. A pale hand gripped his hair, tugging him up to meet her eyes. The two stared at one another for a long moment. It stretched on as onyx looked into the ocean and the ocean stared into the night sky.

She bonked her forehead protector against his, the two staring at one another. A pale finger let go of his hair and began scratching his scalp, the strange sensation making the blonde smile slightly, a smile the Uchiha heiress copied.

"C'mon, let's go eat some of those salty noodles you call food." He blinked as she turned away but smiled truly as he jumped into step with her, bumping her hip with his own as they walked side by side.

"You scarf down ramen almost as fast as me when it has tomatoes." The girl frowned.

"No, you're just seeing double of yourself when you're on a ramen binge." Naruto snorted at her words and rubbed the top of her head condescendingly.

"Sure thing." He watched for the slap but it never came and he smiled a tad. He rubbed his hand through her surprisingly soft hair a few more moments before retracting it.

It was a good end to a bad week.

* * *

"So, as I said yesterday."

The trio was in their usual training ground, Naruto sat on one post with Satsuki leaning against another and Kakashi smiling at the two in his usual way.

"Satsuki and I will be doing specialized training and Naruto over there will be going to Hokage-sama for his own assignment." The two nodded. "And, since there are so many foreign ninja in Konoha as well as fellow competitors,"

The two gave each other a side-glance.

"Both Satsuki and I will be going to a far out training place in the outer reaches of Hi no Kuni." Predictably, the blonde groaned.

"You're gonna leave for a month? But Kakashi-sensei, I haven't been away from you guys for that long since I met you!" The blonde flailed slightly atop his wooden pillar.

"Separation makes the heart grow fonder!" Kakashi said with a cheery tone as Naruto groaned further at the words.

"Relax idiot, Hokage-sama will probably be running you into the ground." Naruto scrunched up his nose at the words as he flopped onto his back.

"Well, we'll be leaving in an hour so you should go pack. Hokage-sama is expecting you, Naruto. Good luck." Kakashi said as he returned his attention to his book, this one green-covered. "Meet me at the West Gate." And he was gone in a flurry of leaves.

"A whole month! The Old Man better have something good." The blonde rolled off of the stump and landed in a stand, face scrunched into a scowl.

"He trained the Sannin." Naruto grew sad at the reminder of the Sannin and his teammate.

"He's got that massive secret scroll, maybe it's got a cool sword thing on there?"

"Hn." Naruto groaned at the noise, the girl smirking slightly.

"I thought we were past the whole grunt thing!" He whined as they walked.

"Accept it."

"Or use your words."

"You're the one with the problem."

"It's your fault!"

"Hn."

He made a strangled noise as he stretched his arms out as though to choke the air as she gave a small laugh at his plight.

"Nevermind, I can stand being away from you and Kakashi-sensei for a month." He said as she gave him a sideways glance.

"How hurtful. How ever will I cope with such pain?" Luckily, the training grounds were on the far side of the village with the clan districts separating them from the village proper. The Uchiha clan was the farthest out and they were already able to see it.

"You'll probably grunt it off." He shot back as she gave another laugh, Naruto giving a small grin at the noise.

"That was surprisingly insightful. For a dead last." He growled lowly at her words.

"And this dead-last can easily kick your ass." She gave him a teasing smirk, eyes dancing in mirth.

"Of course a plebeian like you would result to crude profanity. It's a sign of low intelligence." She easily evaded the swipe as she laughed. "Far too slow. As if a dead-last could measure up to the Sharingan."

Their peaceful walk fell into a strange game of tag, the two darting across the path as Naruto tried to catch her.

"Stop calling me dead last!" His fingers barely grazed her long hair as she darted away, landing on the border wall of the Uchiha compound. She flicked a hand through said hair, goading him on with a single finger.

"Make me." He growled once more, his canines shining in the late morning sun. He made three clones as they all tensed.

"Gladly." The four easily leapt up and over the border wall that the Uchiha had vacated easily, taking to the expansive system of rooftops in her compound. She gave a gleeful laugh as she kicked a clone that had tried cutting her off, red eyes spinning as she raced against time.

The girl had always been faster though and easily outran Naruto. She spared a glance back as she leapt over a roof, seeing the clones throwing themselves literally at her. She spun and kicked one in the jaw as it neared. The final clone being taken out by slipping on a tile.

"Even your clones are idiots!" She laughed mockingly at his rage, eyes dancing with mirth as she fell to the streets. It was moments before he landed a few feet in front of her, cutting her off on her path.

She ran at him and used the arm he extended as a springboard, launching herself over the boy as he let out a scream of irritation. She could hear him racing after as she turned a corner, leaping off of a wall to gain speed and her house came in sight.

"You lose!" She wasn't even sure what game they had been playing as she slid open her front door, walking into the main room with wide arms in victory. "As I said," She said through her pants. "You can't match the-" She was cut off as she turned back to her entrance.

The blonde barreled through the open doorway without hesitation, tackling the unsuspecting girl to the floor. She gave a yelp of shock and as they finished their rolling sprawl, he had her pinned.

He was sat on her waist with both of her hands pinned above her head by one of his own. She met his own eyes defiantly as he stared down at her with a sharp smile.

"You already lost." She said amidst their pants, the blonde atop her feeling like a furnace as he radiated heat. He leaned down, smiling in her face as their breath mingled.

"And who's on top?" She narrowed her eyes at his smug look. He leaned down and she stilled in shock as his face hovered over the side of her neck. "I win." He whispered, hot breath hitting her skin as she began to squirm.

She gasped as his grip tightened, his legs pushing down on her own and his free hand coming down on her hip.

"Stay." He ordered, his tone breathy against her skin as his aura of heat made her sweat slightly. Her squirming stopped outside of the occasional twitch as Naruto hummed. "Good girl." She scowled at his words and tried to shuck him off of her more violently.

She shouldered him in the jaw and that made his jaw hit her own, both groaning as Naruto rolled off of her. Satsuki hopped to her feet easily, patting herself down as she tried to get her breathing and heart rate under control.

"You're still far too slow." She said, running a hand through her hair as a means of getting it out of the tangled mess it had become. She shivered slightly at the blatant hunger in the blonde's eyes as she crossed her arms.

"We could go again, right here. No rooftops to run across." He stood to his full height and his usual foxy grin looked almost predatory in it's manner, his blue eyes dancing in the darkened house.

"I'd rather not destroy my house." She said with a scoff and an eye roll.

"You've got others." He stepped up only to get pushed back with a palm shove from Satsuki.

"I don't know why you're being weird but we both have things to do." His lip curled at the words and one of his canines became more visible as he did so. It was slightly elongated.

"And then you'll be gone for a month." She rose a brow at his words, her hands settling on her hips.

"A month where we'll be training to _fight_ each other." Naruto shrugged. "Now go, I have to pack."

"Not even a goodbye?" He asked cheekily as his eyes returned to normal, looking more natural as he gave a more familiar grin. She let out a breath of relief internally at the look.

"You lost. Losers don't get goodbyes." Naruto huffed at her words as he scratched his jaw.

"Consolation prize?"

"That's a big word for you." She commented as his face drooped in annoyance. She gave a short laugh as she waved him off. "Fine, goodbye. Now go." She turned and disappeared into the house, the thuds of his footsteps leaving her house as she did so.

* * *

"Old Man!" Naruto hollered as he entered the office of his village leader, the man sitting in his usual chair with hands absent-mindedly fiddling with his pipe.

"Good morning Naruto-kun. I assume you said goodbye to your team?" The man asked as he set down his pipe, folding his hands as he did so. The blonde gave an acknowledging noise in the back of his throat as he rubbed the back of his head.

"So you're training me for the exams?" He asked with a hopeful grin.

"No, I am too busy and far too old to take the time to train you properly." The blonde drooped at the words. "Originally, I had planned for a friend of mine to help you with your seal and controlling it's chakra."

"I've already got that down Old Man." The blonde said, drawing out the words as he put his hands behind his head.

"I am very aware, Naruto-kun. That is why, I am not having you do that. Instead, I will give you a choice." The man withdrew a scroll from beside his desk, a large one like the scroll he'd learned the shadow clone from.

"My student; Jiraiya, is in town and you could go learn from him. He is one of the Sannin and in my personal opinion, stronger than Orochimaru." The blonde became bolt straight at the words and looked ready to pounce out the office.

"Or, you can use this scroll for a month." Naruto's eyes became glued to the large scroll. "This scroll was made by both my teacher and his wife; Uzumaki Mito and Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage." Naruto was clearly intrigued.

"Uzumaki?" Hiruzen nodded at the words.

"She was an Uzumaki before becoming married to Hashirama and as such, this scroll belongs to the Senju. Since my student is the last Senju, she entrusted her assets to me. This scroll is comprised of a myriad of both Uzumaki and Senju techniques. Ranging from things like ninjutsu to advanced kenjutsu."

Naruto's lips twisted as his mind worked hard to weigh the two options.

"Why only a month?" The man shrugged.

"As I said, it is technically not mine to give away. Also, a Hokage giving a ninja such a tool is favoritism and frowned upon." Naruto's nose scrunched up at the words. "I assure you that it is quite reasonable."

"What does your student do? Like, the snake bastard does snakes and ninjutsu and crap. What does Jiraiya do?" Hiruzen hummed at the words.

"Good question. I suppose I would say nin and taijutsu mainly. He is also the only master of Fūinjutsu in the nations, an art the Uzumaki were masters of." Naruto bit his lip as he stared at the scroll. "I realize it is a big decision and if you need-"

"I've got it!" The blonde shot up with a big grin, the man blinking at the abrupt change. "I pick the scroll!"

"Are you sure? This is a rather important decision." Naruto nodded in surety as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "Very well. Though, can I ask why?" The blonde snatched up the scroll and threw it over his shoulder, the strap taut.

"With all my clones, I can learn everything in the scroll in like a week!" Hiruzen blinked long and hard at that. "Later Old Man!" Hiruzen was left in shock for several moments, staring at the open window the blonde had thrown himself out of with a cackle.

The man suddenly let out a string of chuckles, shaking his head in amusement as he turned to a small stack of paperwork.

"He really is his mother's son."


	3. Tensions Rising

The tension was thick in the Chūnin stadium as eight Chūnin hopefuls were lined up and standing in front of their new proctor, Shiranui Genma. The man had a lazy smile and a senbon in his mouth.

"Kazekage-dono." Hiruzen greeted, the veiled Kage nodding in return as he walked over to his allotted seat.

"Hokage-dono. Quite the spectacle, the first Chūnin Exams that Kiri have joined in over a decade." Hiruzen gave an amiable smile at the words as he tapped the arm of his chair.

"Yes, this will be my first time meeting the only Godaime."

"Then I would take a good look." The two turned their heads to see a tall women with long hair and a sultry smirk, the Mizukage hat resting on the back of her neck as she entered. A one-eyed man entered behind her as well as a more reputable man.

"Hm? I had quite thought you dead, Hōzuki Mangetsu." The Kazekage commented. The white-haired man gave a polite smile to the two men, shifting the large scroll on his back as he stepped to the side of his leader's chair.

"It is an honor to be recognized by a man of your stature, Kazekage-dono. Even if it is being thought of as dead." Said man huffed, crossing one leg over the over as he folded his hands in his lap.

"How could I not know of the Second Coming of the Demon? Quite the moniker." The man gave a light breathy laugh as he watched a particular blonde. "I am sure it is sheer coincidence that the Second Coming of the Demon has come to watch the boy who now wields the weapon of the true Demon, hm?"

"And how, has that come to pass?" The Mizukage intervened, one visible eye swiveling to the Hokage who hummed.

"It is merely a matter of a boy claiming his heritage." The Mizukage rose a brow.

"The boy is not from Kiri, I would remember one so blindingly blonde." She commented as she looked down at him. "And so disrespectful."

"That would be because he is not from Kiri."

"An Uzumaki? In this day? Quite amusing." The Kazekage intervened with a dry chuckle as he watched the proceedings calmly.

"Uzumaki? The dead clan?" The woman asked with an amused smile. "What does a relic of history have to do with the swords of Kiri?" Mangetsu then leaned down and began whispering in his Kage's ear. "Why was I not told of this?"

"It did not seem prudent." Was all he said as he stood back up straight. The Mizukage, to her credit, seemed undeterred. 

"Regardless of how history is written, they were taken as Spoils of War." The Hokage hummed yet again.

"And he took it from a Missing-nin who had tried to kill him. I do not see the issue." The Mizukage's eye narrowed and her lips pursed at the words.

"I suppose." Was all she said, clearly not wanting to leave the topic alone.

"Brat, stop that." Genma ordered as he stared at the boy at the end of the line of Genin.

"But Proctor, I didn't eat breakfast!" The boy was scarfing down a bowl of ramen right in front of him, the label of Ichiraku on the side of it.

"And who's fault is that? You're making a bad showing in front of the Kage and the Daimyō. Put. It. Away." The blonde grumbled and downed the rest of the ramen instantly. He shuddered at the sensation and threw the bowl clear out of the arena, the porcelain glistening in the air as the blonde picked his teeth with the chopsticks. "Cheeky brat."

The blonde snickered at the man as he fiddled with the chopsticks. The blonde looked the same as he had a month ago except for one fact, the lower halves of his sleeves were torn off. In their place was white tape and a seal matrix on a paper that was over his inner wrists, the tanning line from his arm weights in stark contrast to the rest of his tanned skin.

"Alright, listen up. Due to... an incident, Dosu of Oto will not be able to compete. Therefore, Sabaku no Gaara of Suna will get a bye into the next round." The redhead was abuzz with rage. "Same rules you had in the preliminaries, when I say stop you stop. Avoid lethality the best you can. We'll begin when I get the word."

"Where's Satsuki?" Naruto asked Shikamaru, the lazy genius shrugging.

"She hasn't popped up." Was all the Nara said as Naruto frowned. A blur of motion appeared and an ANBU was beside Genma. The senbon-chewing man nodded, the masked figure darting away.

"Remember, these Chūnin Exams were created to garner attention to your respective village. Put on a good show. Everyone that isn't Aburame Shino or Hyūga Neji; head up to the viewing room."

They each left in their own respective way, Naruto leaping up there with a whoop of excitement as Gaara disappeared in an array of sand.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" Genma's voice echoed through the massive stadium. "Here begins the one-hundred and eighty-third Chūnin Exam Finals!" A cheer went through the stands as Genma raised his hand. "Ready?" Both Konoha shinobi nodded. "Begin!"

Neji dashed forward to try and get close as Shino let loose a literal cloud of insects that tried to encompass the Hyūga prodigy. Neji dashed to the side but every time he neared, another swarm would get between the two. It was truly a bad match up for Neji.

And then, to the surprise of everyone, he dashed through the cloud of bugs. They all parted and stayed away from him like the plague and in an instant, Neji had crossed the distance.

"I see, you have special repellent." Shino commented as he raised both hands. "Proctor-san, I would like to concede. Why? Because he has countered everything I can do with a special balm." Genma nodded slowly.

"Winner: Hyūga Neji." The crowd was rather quiet at the win as nothing had really happened.

"I see that you must have been given that balm by Hinata-san. Why? Because she is one of three people outside of my clan who know how to make that specific balm." Neji nodded once as he turned.

"It was a part of fate, it was not a fault of yours." The two made their way back up to the viewing area. Genma sent a look up at the Kage booth and received a single nod in lieu of an answer.

"As Uchiha Satsuki of Konoha has yet to arrive, her match will be pushed back to the end with Temari of Suna." A lot of loud complaining and grumbling filled the stands at not being able to see the last Uchiha in action. "So, can Tenten of Konoha as well as Nara Shikamaru make their way down."

"It's gonna be so much dodging. She has all of those really pointy weapons and I really don't feel like having a bunch of cuts all day." The teen complained loudly.

"Hey Shika." Naruto wrapped an arm around the lazy teen's shoulders. "Sometimes, you just gotta go in face-first." And without further preamble, the blonde shoved the genius over the railing and into the arena. "You got this!"

"Damn troublesome blonde brats." The teen slowly stood as he groaned. "God, I'm turning into my old man. Ugh, this is such a pain. I'd rather stay here and watch the clouds." He said as he slowly walked out of the comforting shade and into the harsh sun, standing across from the eager weapons user.

"You two ready?" He got a quick nod from Tenten and a groan from Shikamaru.

"I guess." Genma quirked a brow at the words but accepted them.

"Begin!" Despite his laziness, Shikamaru darted back with decent speed; avoiding the flurry of projectiles that impacted with the ground. He quickly ran for the shaded area, covered in trees and grass as opposed to the well lit ground Tenten stood on.

"As if I'll fall for that so easily!" She began to throw shuriken after shuriken, kunai following as well as an odd long weapon. Shikamaru waded in between the projectiles, having to constantly move as he did so. He dove under the blanket of projectiles with his hands clasped.

Tenten gasped as she became ensnared, the girl stilling before suddenly walking forward and into the shade.

"H-how?" She gasped out as Shikamaru smirked, continuing the walk.

"I just used the shadows your shuriken cast on the ground and used them to hop to you." She gaped at him as he bent over nothing and made her pick up a sword laid at her feet. He made her hold it to her neck as she scowled.

"I surrender."

"Winner: Nara Shikamaru." Mild clapping met the words.

"These Konoha battles are going quite quick, I wonder if the standard has dropped?" The Mizukage asked, clearly slightly hostile from the previous conversation.

"Or it has risen high enough for battles to be decided quickly, as real ones often are." Hiruzen responded easily as he watched the arena.

"The Nara boy used his wit quite well. But as much as I love strategy, watching this will be even better." The Kazekage said as he watched the two budding swordsmen get to the arena floor. "Who will win this, Mizukage-dono?"

"Chōjūrō, he's been taught by Mangetsu here for two years, he has experience and strength on his side." She answered confidently.

"Hokage-dono?"

"Kenjutsu is not everything, when it comes to Naruto-kun." The Kazekage hummed at the words.

"I find myself agreeing. We are not samurai. And besides, this boy intrigues me greatly." Hiruzen turned to his fellow Kage with a raised brow.

"And what is it about Naruto-kun that has interested you so?" Hiruzen asked as the Kazekage smiled beneath his veil.

"Let us not play coy. Everyone in this booth was given a report of the preliminaries." Everyone else stiffened imperceptibly at the man's words. "For the first time in a century a boy has been able to bend the Kyūbi.

"Of course, I am interested."

* * *

"So, ready to give me my sword yet?" Naruto asked as he stood ready. Chōjūrō twitched at the words as he drew the massive bandaged weapon.

"To honor Kiri and Mizukage-sama; I will reclaim Kubikiribōchō from you!" Naruto grinned savagely, hunching forward slightly at the words.

"Nah, I'm gonna use it to put Kiri on the chopping block." Chōjūrō reared up in indignation as he took a stance.

"Ready?" Genma got two nods. "Begin!"

Near thirty clones puffed into existence and Chōjūrō charged into the smoke blindly.

**"Hiramekarei Unleashing!"**

A blue beam of light cut through the smoke with ease, dispersing it and resulting in no clones remaining with Naruto standing several dozen feet away.

"That's cool, take this on for size!" In a puff of smoke a fuma shuriken entered Naruto's hand. He let it fly and made a hand seal. **"Shuriken Shadow Clone!"** And in a puff of smoke, the easily dodgeable fuma became over two dozen.

Chōjūrō's eyes widened and he flew through hand seals, leaping back as he did so.

 **"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"** The boy spat out a relatively small mud wall that served it's purpose as over a half dozen fuma shuriken thudded into it. One flew by and puffed into smoke mere feet away from Chōjūrō. The boy turned in surprise to bear witness to Naruto now wielding the massive cleaver and looming over the boy.

"Don't underestimate the Uzumaki-ttebayo!" His odd verbal tic showed itself as he slammed the massive sword down with the might of gravity and natural strength. The area went up in smoke as Chōjūrō went flying through his own mud wall, coming to a stop quite a ways away.

The blue-haired boy was sufficiently ruffled as he stood, scuff marks covering him yet his stance was firm and his eyes smoldering. Naruto emerged from the smoke with a sharp smile, running low to the ground with the sword carving a light fissure in the ground behind him in a trail.

When he entered range, Naruto swung down in yet another massive swing only for Chōjūrō to roll to the side of the move and use the hammer version of his blade. The blonde was sent flying into the far arena wall, hitting it with a heavy thud.

Chōjūrō put a hand on the pommel of the massive head cleaver, glaring into the dust where the blonde had impacted.

"You cannot match a true swordsman!" He shouted into the dust cloud. The blonde emerged, entire left half of his body steaming and his eyes livid. He tumbled out of the semi-hole in the wall with his jaw hanging unnaturally. The blonde put a hand to it and shoved it up in a sickening crunch, steam pouring out of his mouth as he began to walk.

"Now you done it." Steam poured off him in roves as his blemishes went away along with any scuffs or scratches, bruises fading into flawless skin. "Yeah, I'm not that good of a swordsman." Naruto admitted as he began running forward while hurtling a kunai at Chōjūrō.

"But I learn quick!"

Little did the blonde know, his teammate and sensei had just arrived in the contestants booth.

The Kiri boy dodged right, the knife sailing past only for him to turn to it as it puffed in smoke behind him. When he dealt with what he thought was a substitution, two arms came up from behind and put Chōjūrō in a rear naked choke. The clone then came forward with a fist cocked back.

Chōjūrō thrust his head back, bashing the back of his head into Naruto's nose. The nose crunched disgustingly and the pale-haired youth kicked the clone in the chest, coughing slightly.

"Congrats, you're forcing me to use some of that prick's power!" Naruto declared as he gripped the sword hilt, the massive cleaver still impaled in the ground as Naruto bared his teeth. His lips curled back and his canine elongated, his nose forcibly healing with smeared blood vaporizing on his skin.

Chōjūrō leapt forward, bringing the massive sword down in hammer form in an overhead slam. He had to reposition the blade just in time to block the massive head cleaver that slammed into his vulnerable side with far greater speed than before.

The swordsman came to a stop several feet away, wincing at the force the sword had hit his own with. The blonde now truly did look like a demon, slit red eyes and feral features with malice rolling off him in roves; a monster.

Said monster burst forward, crossing the distance in two powerful stomps and bringing the sword around in a wide slash that Chōjūrō hopped over. He caught a spinning back foot to the chest in return, flipping back several feet. Chōjūrō panted as he stood shakily, the blonde not even phased from the prolonged fight and rearing to go.

"This is why the Uzumaki are better! You just can't even keep up!" He crossed the distance between them with ease once more and swung down on Chōjūrō in the same move. Chōjūrō roared and stepped to the side of the move, swinging up with his sword.

Blood splattered as the blonde was cut across the chest deeply. Naruto gasped in surprised pain as he looked down, a thick cut running from left hip to right shoulder. His jacket opened easily and Naruto looked up to see the shy swordsman looking in surprise at the wound pouring blood.

"Idiot."

Naruto's word rung through the heads of everyone as he brought the sword around, hitting the boy with the flat end of it and knocking him out cold. Steam began to push out of the wound even as it bled heavily, drooling the lifeblood on the ground.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!" The crowd was silent for a few moments before they cheered wildly at the change of events. Naruto leaned forward only for a white-haired man to appear in front of him, picking up the Hiramekarei with ease and sealing it in a massive scroll quickly.

"Hey! That's mine!" Naruto roared at him as the man slung the large scroll over his shoulder. The boy's eyes widened as the man turned, calm violet eyes clashing with violent crimson.

"Right of conquest is only enacted in the event of the shinobi's death." Naruto's weight training showed as he stabbed the massive sword in the ground with a crash, livid red eyes glaring down the swordsman.

"Hōzuki Mangetsu!" The blonde barked out with gnashed teeth. His grip on the handle of his sword became knuckle-white as he glared down the stoic swordsman.

"I possess five of the seven swords. You will not reclaim them while I breathe."

"That can be arranged!" The blonde bit out. A senbon thudded in his shoulder. The blonde looked up to Genma to see the man giving him a glare.

"Leave it." The blonde snarled at the words before ripping out the senbon and launching it into the stone wall beside Genma. He resealed the massive sword and growled at Mangetsu, his cloak going away. He bared his teeth once more at the man before turning, stomping off.

"My, my. He has the attitude of an academy student." The Mizukage said with a mocking laugh.

"And slapped your prized swordsman around like he was a Jōnin." The Kazekage remarked with a thin smile beneath his veil.

"Jinchūriki are quite hard to defeat. I would know." She reflected.

"So why would you say your boy would win?" She pursed her lips. "Well, you certainly look the part of a nation coming out of a civil war. A poorly-mannered Kage and weak shinobi. Perhaps the rumors of Kiri no longer being part of the Big Five are indeed true."

"Now, now, Kazekage-dono. This is Mizukage-dono's first Chūnin Exams. We can cut her a bit of slack for her abhorred behavior." The woman looked as though she could not hear them as she crossed one leg over the other.

"Hm. Maybe. Now it is time for my daughter and the Uchiha." The veiled man hummed for a long moment. "I do not expect her to win against someone cut of the same cloth of Uchiha Itachi."

"Does she show it? Does she show the signs of a prodigy?" The Mizukage asked, rejoining the conversation smoothly.

"That is open for interpretation."

* * *

"Act a bit more like a rabid fox, I don't think they got the message." A familiar voice said, Naruto pausing on the stairway to the competitors booth. Satsuki was on the steps ahead of him and he frowned at her.

"They're getting the message that I'm coming for the swords." She rose a brow at his words as he scaled the stairs. She'd undergone a slight wardrobe change as well, her ankles now taped off and her elbows having white pads over the sleeves.

"That's your message? Not that you're a good candidate for Chūnin but that you're a feral animal wanting the swords?" He was not on the same step as her and she noticed he'd grown at least an inch, now as tall as her.

"That's the message you wanna give?!" He shot back at her, surprising both with his passion. "That you're the last Uchiha but you're gonna settle for Chūnin?"

"You have to become a Chūnin to climb the ladder, idiot."

"When I get the swords and my ancestors can rest in peace, then I'll climb the ladder!"

"Hn." Was all she said as she walked past him, hearing his grumble at her as he climbed past her.

"Ready?" Genma's voice echoed in the stadium as his eyes scanned both kunoichi, giving their respective nods. "Begin!"

Satsuki instantly started running through hand seals and arched like a bow.

 **"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"** The massive fireball was almost a mini-explosion as it raced for the Suna kunoichi who smirked and drew back her fan.

"Don't underestimate me!" She blew the massive fireball away like hitting a ball with a bat, the massive cyclone of fire turning around under the strength of the furious winds and racing back at Satsuki twice as fast. The girl leapt out of the way easily, running to the side with Temari's eyes on her.

She could not overwhelm her opponent with hundreds of shadow clones nor could she just wield massive weapons and launch them around like she is a bodybuilder. She ran in a straight line for the smirking Temari, brandishing kunai as she did so.

Because while Naruto was an unstoppable force akin to a lumbering bear, Satsuki was a vicious wolf.

Temari drew back her fan once more only to look down in shock as a hand erupted from the earth and gripped her ankle. Before she could react, the hand had pulled her into the dirt and she was left underground from the neck down, two Uchiha heiress' staring down at her with identical smirks to the roaring of the crowd.

"Winner: Uchiha Satsuki."

"Knowing her fireball would fail and using it as a distraction while also employing a clone... Quite impressive." The Kazekage commented as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his ankles as he did so.

"Very. Temari-san's arrogance was her downfall and she did not look at the bigger picture. It was a good trap though." The Mizukage said, her chin on her fist as she watched the end tail of the fight. "Well-used ninjutsu and tactics while avoiding anything potentially lethal; Chūnin-grade material."

"I find myself agreeing, Mizukage-dono. Satsuki-chan does her clan proud." The Hokage remarked as the three watched the first round end. "And there ends the first round."

"We now begin the second round of the exams!" Genma announced. "The first fight will be between Hyūga Neji and Sabaku no Gaara." Gaara rasped out a growl at being able to fight and was down on the arena floor in a blast of sand.

"I did that far better than you." Satsuki said as she sidled up beside Naruto, the two leaning against the railing on their forearms as they looked down at the arena.

"Nah, I gave a way better show." He rebuked as Neji walked into the arena.

"Hn." She dropped the topic while he gave an eye roll. "Didn't you say he was to be avoided in the beginning of the second exam?"

"Yeah, he's got sand." He said as she furrowed her brow.

"How does that warrant us staying away from him?"

"He didn't even hesitate and crushed my clone with it. He's coo coo." Satsuki hummed at the words as they turned their attention to the upcoming fight.

"Ready?" Genma asked, the cork of Gaara's gourd popping off as the redhead gave a grunt and Neji nodded stiffly. "Begin."

Neji instantly dashed forward, ducking under a tendril of sand and getting close to the son of the Kazekage.

"You're in the range of my divination!"

**"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"**

Neji began dishing out jabs in blinding speed, each one aimed at a certain part of Gaara's body. The redhead watched uncaring for a while as his sand blocked continuously but that was broken by a palm getting through and hitting Gaara in the stomach.

The redhead hunched forward in a gasp as three more hits hit his arms but they seemed to not affect him. Neji was snagged by two tendrils of sand that spread and entrapped the long-haired youth in a sphere of sand.

Gaara held out a slightly open palm with a crazed look in his eye. It was ripped away though not a moment later as Neji realized the danger he was in and channeled himself.

**"Eight Trigrams: Palms Revolving Heaven!"**

A blue blazing bubble emanated from the teen and forced all of the sand away, dispersing it until it recoiled around Gaara. Neji leapt back several times as the sand coiled around Gaara like a protective snake.

"I see. You control your sand with chakra and when I strike the chakra out of it; it becomes much slower." He was correct, some of the sand was moving far more sluggish than the other sand. "Then come, I will show you the extent of your fate."

"My fate?" Gaara rasped as he looked up with a savage grin as sharp tendrils of sand began forming. "My fate is intertwined with mother's and mother's fate involves basking in your blood!"

Over a half dozen tendrils of sand shot across the clearing for Neji and he began jabbing each tendril, constantly moving and dancing around each tendril. One grabbed him briefly but he struck it and easily jerked free.

"Guess he's got a chance." Naruto remarked as he watched the fight. Satsuki hummed in contemplation.

"A small one. Gaara can still control the sand and it can still protect him. He just has to use it more conservatively." Naruto hummed in lieu of a response as they watched the fight.

All of Gaara's tendrils were significantly slower at this point, Neji panting as he darted for Gaara once more. The sand dragged after him at a decent speed but not fast enough. A wall of sand formed between both Gaara and Neji.

Neji did not hesitate and reared his palm back, striking into the wall with all his force. The blast rocketed Gaara back with the physical blast of chakra that blew out of the back of the wall.

Gaara stumbled to a stop as Neji appeared in front of him, the redheads teal eyes widening in shock as he saw all his sand on the other side of Neji. His gourd exploded in a shower of sand and came down on Neji like stakes in a crucifixion.

The long-haired teen spun rapidly, a sphere of chakra sheering the sand away as it tried to push through. Gaara's eyes widened at it's strength as Neji stopped spinning.

**"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"**

Gaara became racked with jabs that slammed into every part of his body, jabbing him in every little tenketsu and his sand arm fell away as though it had been corroded. Neji stopped the blows and all sand fell to the ground, limp like it's user. Gaara fell onto his back as he rasped in pain.

"Winner: Hyūga Neji."

"He didn't seem that bad." Satsuki commented as Naruto frowned.

"Maybe I overthought it in the forest." She shrugged at his words as they tensed, knowing one of them was next.

"Due to an odd number of competitors, one competitor will have to fight two opponents in this round." Genma announced as the cheering died down from Neji's match as Gaara was carried away by infirmary staff, the redhead unconscious. "Through random pull, this competitor is Hyūga Neji."

"Next match; Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru." Said Nara groaned loudly at the match-up as he slowly walked down the steps. Naruto bumped Satsuki's hip with his own as he rose.

"Gonna wish me luck?" He asked with a foxy smirk, the girl raising a brow at him.

"If you need luck for fighting him then you're far worse than I thought you were." He clutched his chest in faux pain.

"You wound both Shika and I, Satsuki-chan." He leapt over the railing and landed a few strides away from Shikamaru. "So, what's your tactic for this one?"

"Very complex." Shikamaru answered as he rolled his neck. "And you?"

"I'll just throw clones at ya until I win!" The Nara huffed at his answer as they took positions across from one another.

"How did I know you were gonna say that?" He asked as took his hands out of his pockets.

"Ready?" The proctor asked as the two nodded, one grimacing and the other grinning. "Begin!"

Naruto hurtled a kunai at Shikamaru, a hand sign making the one become several dozen as Shikamaru's eyes widened. The Nara fell to his stomach and only one kunai hit him in the forearm. He then snapped to his feet and began backpedaling into the shade as over a dozen clones formed.

The clones all began throwing shuriken and kunai at Shikamaru while running at him as Naruto stayed on the far wall, the one the sun was hitting. The Uzumaki actually climbed the wall with chakra and stuck to the surface almost halfway up, grinning at Shikamaru.

"I surrender!" Shikamaru called as he scratched his cheek, passing a gaggle of confused clones as he walked forward. "My shadows couldn't reach him up there and I know he can dodge or heal from anything I throw at him."

"Smart. Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!" Genma declared as said blonde fell to the ground. Mostly polite clapping filled the stadium followed by the odd 'boo' or groan.

"He did the best thing he could." Hiruzen remarked as he stroked his goatee.

"Yes, when against a powerhouse like that there is only so much wits can do." Mei admitted as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"His skills as well as his performance and knowledge of when and what to do something shows him as Chūnin material." Rasa commented as he sat up straighter. "The Uchiha against the Hyūga, I can smell the rivalry."

"Hm. The Hyūga have been behind the Uchiha for years but it's said that Neji is the most proficient in using their Dōjutsu in their clan's history."

"That thing you did to Tenten was super cool, by the way." Naruto said as he and Shikamaru started walking back up the steps to the competitor's booth.

"Yeah, I can't exactly do that to you when you're standing on hot cement now can I?" He muttered bitterly as Naruto gave a foxy grin. "Oh, you're girlfriend's coming." The Nara was promptly cuffed.

"You wouldn't say it but, good luck." He commented, stopping on the steps as Shikamaru went up and into the booth.

"How kind." She said flatly as he grinned.

"That's the kinda teammate I am, one who wishes their friend luck." She rose a brow, crossing her arms as she smirked at him.

"And when did I say we were friends? You're just some lucky loser I'm using as a step-stool." Naruto barked out a laugh before he stepped into her comfort zone, blue eyes dancing with a spark.

"I said it. Got a problem?" She met his eyes challengingly as she slowly raised her hand. Just as it hovered over his cheek, she thrust it forward to shove him into the opposing wall with a thud.

"You're lucky I don't have the time to pummel you into the dirt at the moment." His eyes blazed with that same look they'd had before the month training period.

"Who was the one on top last time?" He asked as she gave an eye roll, starting down the stairs.

"After you cheated."

"We're shinobi, I'll do anything."

With the way he finished that sentence, a great many words could be added to the end of it.

* * *

"Ready?" The two competitors nodded, dual Dōjutsu staring at one another. "Begin!"

At first, they simply stared at one another before Satsuki launched a trio of kunai at Neji that he slid under, the ninja wire flopping uselessly.

"My Byakugan sees all, you won't beat me with such cheap tricks." He declared as she smirked. His eyes widened as he saw her presence suddenly swap with the kunai behind him. He couldn't react in time and got hit thrice, launching him into the air in an eerily similar move and he barely made a cross guard to protect himself in time as she rocketed him back down to the ground with an ax-kick.

"Just because you can see it coming doesn't mean you can react in time." She remarked as she fell to the ground, Neji leaping from the dust in the opposite direction with blood trickling down his brow. He dashed at her, crossing the distance quickly as he began jabbing at her.

She deflected each strike, slapping them to the side or pushing them off-target. It was a masterful bout of taijutsu before Neji took a step back suddenly.

"You're in the range of my divination!"

**"Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms!"**

He began peppering Satsuki with blows only for her to smirk at the blows. His eyes widened in the midst of his technique as the clone he had been laying into puffed into smoke. The one degree of his blind spot became apparent as she walked up and held a kunai to his neck from behind.

"H-how?!" He exclaimed as the knife pressed against his skin.

"Just because the idiot uses them one way doesn't mean that's the only way."

"I see. Proctor, I forfeit."

"Winner: Uchiha Satsuki."

"I suppose it was fated for you to defeat me. The Uchiha are still superior to the Hyūga after all." He said, Byakugan dying down as she shrugged at his words and stepped back.

"The final round of the Chūnin Exams shall now commence. Uzumaki Naruto, come down to the arena!"

"So, Konoha wins the Chūnin Exams and it ends up being teammates. I can smell a sappy love story in the air Hiruzen." The Kazekage commented as both Mizukage and Hokage chuckled at the remark.

"Almost poetic. The last of the Uchiha is a ninjutsu prodigy. The last of the Uzumaki is a budding kenjutsu user and the tamer of the Kyūbi. The children they would have would dominate the Nations." She trailed off as her words were heard. "You are quite the planner, aren't you?"

Hiruzen gave a sly smirk in lieu of an answer.

"Kakashi, you must be real smug huh?" Asuma asked, lighting a cigarette as he watched the round begin to take place.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." The silver-haired man replied as he tucked away his book.

"The man infamous for failing teams finally trains one and they become the finalists of the Chūnin Exams." Kurenai commented as Kakashi hummed.

"I find it odd that you leave out their teammate that died in these very exams." You could have heard a pin drop in the group of Jōnin despite the buzzing of the crowd around them.

"So, you really think you can beat me?" Naruto asked as he popped his knuckles, shaking his legs as he bounced in place. "I'm stronger and just all around more awesome."

"As though a dead-last could even breathe the same air as me." She remarked with a haughty smirk as he grinned savagely. The cries of 'Uchiha' and 'Win' were loud.

"Whoever wins, let's win it for Sakura-chan, yeah?" He asked as he gained a more sad smile that she returned with a frown.

"For Sakura."

"Ready?" Genma asked, eyeing the two with intrigue. "Begin!"

Naruto instantly made five clones and Satsuki instantly spat out a ball of fire. Naruto leapt out of the way while two of his clones were caught by the fire. His other two clones raced at her and engaged in a rather intense set of taijutsu.

She ducked under a kick and swept the legs out from under one clone and garnered a tackle to the ground from the other as payment, the one popping as the other tried to hold her down. She scoffed, ramming her shoulder into his nose before proceeding to slam it into the ground beside her.

**"Shuriken Shadow Clone!"**

Satsuki stood just in time to catch sight of a group of shuriken becoming over a hundred from directly above, blocking out the sun and blanketing the area in shade. Her eyes widened and she dove under the ground, hearing and feeling the immense amount of shuriken impact with the ground.

"I'm not falling for that!" He created another couple dozen clones, each of them patrolling the ground as he stood on the wall like he had against Shikamaru. His clones searched for any protrusions but none were found, much to the befuddlement of the blonde.

 **"Fire Style,"** Naruto looked down in alarm to see the cement he was standing on now had a hole that Satsuki's face now occupied. **"Great Fireball!"** He yelped and jumped higher up on the wall, his sandal on fire as he patted at it and tried to extinguish it.

Pale arms broke from the concrete and wrapped around his neck, putting him in a choke hold as he was pulled against the wall now vertical with gravity. The blonde let out a choked sound as he shot back an elbow, hitting her in the ribs as her grip slackened slightly.

He grabbed her by the hands and leapt from the wall, spinning wildly in the air before throwing her down to the earth with thunderous strength. She spun rapidly before landing on her back against the ground, letting out a cough of saliva as the wind was knocked out of her.

Naruto intended to land on top of her, a fist cocked back that smashed into the earth, the girl having rolled out of the way just in time and stabbed a kunai into his thigh. He grunted in pain and got a handful of shuriken to the torso before a powerful kick rocketed him away.

The crowd cheered as he tumbled to a stop, pulling out the weaponry as his wounds began to hiss closed. He looked up to see Satsuki panting heavily while he was barely huffing.

"C'mon Satsuki-chan, I expected better!" He goaded her as she glared at him. "I guess my awesomeness is just way above yours!" She suddenly smirked and for a moment, he was confused.

For a brief moment.

Two kunai suddenly slashed through the back of his knees and then quickly followed that with slicing his shoulders, tearing through cloth and muscle like it was the same thing. He hissed as he fell to the ground only for the two kunai to be impaled through the backs of his knees as a shadow clone of Satsuki got on his back.

"Who's on top now?" She hissed in his ear as she held a kunai to his neck.

"Heh, you really gotta stop underestimating the Uzumaki-ttebayo!" He suddenly burst with chakra, the girl in front of him literally being blown away as he was enveloped in a translucent red coat, steam pouring off of his wounds like they were a cold water on a hot pan.

The stadium went dead silent as the powerful chakra washed over everyone, the blonde turning on the spot to see the girl seething as she stood up.

"So we're using other's power now? FINE!" Black flames began creeping over her skin.

Everyone stopped, even the competitors, as a maniacal cackling filled the air.

An explosion of debris happened and the head of Shukaku appeared, quickly rising to it's full height and power.

**"It's been sooooooo loooooong!"**


	4. Crush with a Lemon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Happenings of the Konoha Crush followed by our favorite teenagers discovering what hormones are, awkward sex ensues.

Naruto felt his throat go dry at the sight of the massive sand beast, cackling it's insane glee as it began to raise to it's full height. He couldn't fixate on it as another explosion rocked the arena, the blonde spinning to see all-out war around him.

The Kage booth was encased in flames, dozens of shinobi fighting in the air and dead falling from the sky like flies.

"KONOHA IS UNDER SIEGE!" A voice boomed, Naruto turning to look at the top of the arena and see an unknown Jōnin who had shouted the words. A wind-enhanced shuriken cut his head clean off. Naruto turned as a howl of rage sounded behind him, the sight of a Suna Jōnin charging him became alarming.

The man was stopped in his tracks by a lightning-coated hand punching through his chest, shaking the man off and he was dead before the dust settled.

"Satsuki, Naruto!" The blonde snapped into awareness at the voice of his teacher, the man alert with his red eye gleaming. "The village is under a combined attack. You need to get into this!" The blonde shook his head to clear the cobwebs.

"Yosh!" A cry sounded and Naruto turned to see both Lee and Guy landing not far away.

"What's the plan, Kakashi-sensei?" The Uzumaki asked as he settled himself, his Kyūbi coat fading as he readied himself.

"Satsuki, Naruto, you two need to go and try and get Gaara. Cover each other's backs, work together!" He ordered, spinning and hurtling a kunai into the neck of an Oto-nin. "We're under a triple-threat attack. This will not be the end of Konoha!"

"Yeah!" Naruto found himself roaring with the group that he was not apart of. "Let's go, Satsuki!" He leapt with an explosion of dust, the ravenette and blonde landing on top of the stadium ring. "You still itching to show off?"

"Like you aren't." She replied, staring at the tall rampaging beast just like he. "There." She pointed out a small shock of red hair as the Ichibi turned, blasting a massive sand bullet into the distance. "Take him out, we take out the beast."

"Duck!" Naruto called as he fell to the ground, a fuma shuriken flying over the two as he turned to see a group of Suna-nin standing not far away.

"The Kyūbi brat brought us our sword and the Uchiha! What a lucky day!" The lead man called with a smirk as he palmed a kunai.

"I ain't got time for you sand punks!" Naruto hollered as he made over a hundred clones, the force moving in roves onto the group that had to turn their attention to the clones. "That won't hold 'em long, let's deal with dusty."

"You distract him, I take down Gaara." Satsuki said, black flames beginning to lick their way across her skin. The blonde rolled a shoulder, his features darkening and his pupils beginning to slit.

"You know, I'm more than a punching bag, bastard." She gave a smirk as she pinched his cheek.

"Aw, does da widdle baby feel sad?" She let go of his cheek with a small laugh as she rolled her wrist around. "Just take his attention, you're loud and obnoxious; I have faith you'll figure something out." She leapt off the side of the arena as she finished, disappearing into the foliage.

 **"Brother! I feel you!"** The one-tails sang, his beady yellow eyes locking onto Naruto's form. **"There you are!"**

Naruto roared to the skies, red chakra coming off him in waves as the stadium stilled at the feeling of the Kyūbi's malevolence. Many heads turned to see the one small figure of glowing red chakra, more noticeable and fear-inducing than near any other shinobi in that stadium.

The blonde leapt off the wall and onto a nearby treetop as a massive bullet of compressed, shearing wind ripped through where the blonde had been standing. It became a cat and mouse game as Naruto's presence was felt by all, the danger and hatred the Kyūbi imposed unignorable.

"My, my." Mei said as she watched the fight from afar, standing beside Mangetsu as she felt the power and malice of the mighty Nine-tails. "Truly a demon."

"What is the plan Mizukage-sama?" Ao asked from a few steps away, watching the fight between the snake sannin and the Sandaime Hokage. "Orochimaru tricked us."

"It is a rather common occurrence in this business, Ao. I would think you knew that with your age." The man quietened at the words as he watched the fight. "Konoha will become the dominant force in this world in a few years, Kiri will never recuperate under such an iron grip.

"After his fight with the Ichibi, Mangetsu, kill the boy and take back Kubikiribōchō. That will set back Konoha over a decade."

"As you wish, Mizukage-sama." The white-haired man disappeared in a burst of speed as she licked her top lip.

"Very interesting."

"You would be so arrogant, Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asked, now revealed to be donning his battle armor that had been beneath his robes. His pale student smirked, his face different but the same as he spread his arms wide.

"Arrogance is not confidence, Sarutobi-sensei. Konoha will burn and you'll be forced to watch the dreams of your predecessors go up in smoke!" The man let loose a cackle. "And only then, do I give you permission to die!"

"Me die?" The aged man asked as he ran through hand signs while his student did the same. "Do you know who you're talking to?" A massive black staff appeared in the man's hands that he twirled with a grace that belied it's size. "It seems I did not successfully beat that childish sense of omnipotence out of you!"

"You were never good at discipline." The long-haired man said, now standing in front of two large cobras.

"Well let this be a lesson you will never forget! I have led Konoha for over sixty years! And I will lead it long after you are rotting in a hole!" The man twirled his staff and banished both cobras with ease. Orochimaru cackled as he ran through hand seals.

"It is shameful to teach your students lies!"

Two large caskets rose from the ground, labeled one and two.

"Perhaps your own teachers can explain that better!"

* * *

 **"Our mighty brother caged just like the rest of us!"** The Ichibi roared, blowing out a blast of air that forced the blonde to cling to the trees as nicks formed on his skin and his jacket was ripped into tatters. The blonde groaned, shucking off the remainder of the clothing and only his mesh top remained.

"That was my favorite coat!" The beast cackled as it lurched forward suddenly, it's arms beginning to swing around it's body. Naruto took that as his cue and leapt forward, sticking to the sand ever so barely as he began to scale the three-story tall beast.

 **"Damn brats!"** The weakest of the tailed-beast's roared, sand spikes grazing Naruto as he side-stepped the best he could; steam rolling off him in roves as he ran up the vertical surface of the creature's front.

Naruto made it to the near top of the head only to be hit by a sandy pillar suddenly thrusting out of the Ichibi. He let out a grunt of pain as he was rocketed into a nearby tree. He caught sight of Satsuki on top, dancing around each spike while trying to reach Gaara and failing.

"Tch, there she goes doing all the damn work for no reason." He grumbled. "Ichibi!"

A single starry eye appeared on it's face, seeing over three dozen fuma shuriken hurtle for him. It didn't even react to the weapons, knowing they would do nothing as he returned his attention to the Uchiha on his head.

 **"Got you!"** He called, a single spike grazing her arm and making her stumble slightly. Another stabbed through her foot and she let out a scream of pain and fear, knowing that her death was coming with the monster having her now pinned.

That was, of course, until the dozens of fuma shuriken puffed into Kyūbi-enhanced Naruto's. One literally punched the massive sand-beast right at the base of the spike in her foot, making it disperse as she fell back in groaning pain, blood painting the sand red.

A single Naruto that was not coated in corrosive chakra dashed by, sweeping the girl into his arms with surprising ease and leapt off and away from the Ichibi. She was hissing in pain the entire time as she gripped his arms in a death-grip.

"I know, that looks like it hurts a lot. I know." He mumbled as he landed on a tree-branch, setting her down as easily as he could while he took out a roll of bandages. A penta of clones took up positions on the nearby branches.

"There's sand in it." She hissed through the pain, teeth gnashing and her face scrunched up in more pain than Naruto had ever seen, blood spilling out on the branch like a horror movie.

"I know, I know." Naruto was clearly very scared as he began wrapping the white binding around the foot, the white becoming stained and drenched with every wrap. "I'm gonna take you to the hospital right after, 'kay?"

"Clones have a range." She responded instantly, it had been one of the first things she'd tested. She gave another moan of pain as the wrap rubbed uncomfortably around the open wound. He gave her a reassuring grin as he tied off the bandage, blood staining it easily.

"Good thing I'm not a clone then, huh?" Her head snapped to his and he saw surprise in her eyes amidst the pain. She quickly slapped his arm and he hissed. "Rude." She looked like she was going to say something further before a loud harmonized cheer filled their ears.

They turned just in time to see the massive sand beast dissolve into a small hill of formless sand.

"See? Doesn't even matter anymore." He gave her his signature grin as he hefted her into his arm once more, bridal carrying her as she once more gripped her clothes in a tight fist.

"Yo, boss." The blonde saw what remained of the clones that attacked the Ichibi, one carrying Gaara over his shoulder.

"Take him to Kakashi-sensei. All of you come with me." They all went their separate ways and Naruto began dashing through the forestry of Konoha, feeling the blood from her foot begin trailing down her leg and onto his front in a sticky river.

"You just had to carry me like this." She muttered, now pale and clammy as she was carried through the air.

"Of course, gotta make you look as girly as possible." She gave a snort of amusement and he knew she was definitely loopy from the loss of blood. He jostled her a bit in his arms, the girls eyes widening slightly. "C'mon stay awake." He couldn't keep the fear out of his voice even though he tried.

"BO-" Naruto didn't get the memories arranged in time and before he knew it, the girl was out of his arms and he screeched to a halt. The wood of the branch splintered under his feet as he turned, staring at the branch he'd just passed.

Mangetsu was stood there, holding Satsuki by her throat as she gripped at his arm; amethyst eyes staring at Naruto dispassionately.

"Mangetsu!" Naruto hissed as his fist clenched harder than it ever had, nails digging into his palm as he seethed. "LET HER GO!" He roared, Kyūbi chakra tainting the air as his clones reared up.

"Give me Kubikiribōchō and she's yours." Naruto's face scrunched up into one of loathsome fury. He withdrew the scroll, the sword puffing into existence as his clones began to audibly growl.

"How do I know you won't hurt her?" Naruto asked with a snarl, practically foaming at the mouth as he saw her eyes flutter.

"Swordsman's honor." Naruto growled for a few more moments before he saw her eyes close. He roared, throwing the sword right into the branch at Mangetsu's feet. The man set the girl down and easily sealed the sword in the scroll. "Good day." He disappeared in a burst of speed and Naruto was already picking her back up in his arms, the girl coughing loudly.

"It's okay, he's gone. He's gone." The blonde redoubled his pace as he began flying through the trees, the girl shivering in his arms.

"You-" Another cough. "Gave it to him." She whispered, the blonde nodding as he leapt through the trees. "Why?" She questioned, her tone so weak and utterly baffled.

"You're way more important."

He entered the village proper with an army of red-cloaked clones, all frothing in fury. He pointedly ignored his clone biting through the throat of a Suna-nin as he jumped over rooftops. Naruto looked down and saw her eyes close to closed. He shook her again, the girl's head lolling as her eyes barely creaked open.

"C'mon, you got this." The blonde didn't know who he was talking to. "Hey, tell me a story." Despite the screams and shouts and explosions, he was only listening to her. He saw a toad nearly as tall as the Ichibi land on a massive three-headed snake and the crystalline sight of the hospital came into view; literal dozens of Konoha shinobi protecting it.

"There was an... idiot... his name was... Naruto." She said slowly.

"Mhm, what did the idiot do?" He asked, blitzing past a Konoha shinobi guarding the hospital.

"Dumb stuff." She muttered, head lolling constantly as he landed at the mouth of the hospital.

"MED-NIN!" He called, getting no answer as he huffed and glared. "THE LAST UCHIHA IS HURT!" He roared, two med-nin magically appearing like ghosts. A gurney appeared under her on wheels, Naruto hesitantly setting her down.

"We can heal her, she'll make it." The doctor said, running a glowing green hand over her foot as they began wheeling her away. He made to follow only for that same doctor to put a hand on his shoulder. "You're the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, your place is out there."

"But-" The man squeezed his shoulder.

"She will definitely live. She's more than likely already passed out and won't even notice you're gone. Now go!" He shoved the blonde harshly and the young teen stumbled out of the hospital. He slowed at the entrance of the white building and saw the chaos and havoc all around.

He growled, his anger and pain of what had happened to Satsuki coming to the forefront of his mind. The blonde leapt into the air, hundreds of Naruto's beginning to block out the sun. They roared, the occasional clone beginning to bubble with cursed chakra; as did the original.

Their war cry blocked all sound.

* * *

The sound of a furiously tapping foot was the only noise of the sole conscious person sat in a chair. He looked horrid, dressed in a hospital robe top and everything else was either in tatters or scuffed. His skin was oddly blemish free, outside of the blood and ash that covered his skin.

His face had been messily wiped free, streaks of soot or an occasional bloodstain on his face. His face's expression on the other hand... it was a myriad of emotions and conflictions.

And why shouldn't it? He'd learned his village leader was dead, the man who had practically been the boy's sole carer growing up had been murdered by the same man who had beheaded his teammate. He'd lost his sword, the sole thing he could hold onto that was a piece of his ancestors and people.

His teammate was in a hospital bed, he had friends in hospital beds, he had a malicious demon in his gut whispering in his ear to let out all his rage and the boy was only thirteen. He'd killed a man for the first time today, followed by another twenty at least.

His home was in ruins, smoking in some places and rubble in others.

And he was only thirteen.

"Yo, brat." The blonde's azure eyes swiveled as his head snapped, looking to his side to see a man now sitting in the window sill. He had long white hair and an oil headband. "Uzumaki Naruto, yeah?"

"Jiraiya of the Sannin?" The man blinked. "I saw your picture in a book once."

"Oh? A fan?" Naruto's nose crinkled.

"Not of your porn." The man wilted.

"It's not porn, it's esteemed literature for esteemed shinobi."

"I'm not esteemed." The man's hum clearly agreed with the boy.

"I saw you, well a lot of you's." Naruto grunted at his words, his foot still bouncing like a hare's as he rested his head on steepled fingers; his eyes locked onto his teammate. "I'm not used to being ignored, gotta be honest."

"Then go." The man blinked yet again, seeing the tenseness in the blonde's shoulders.

"Ah, adrenaline hasn't worn off. I can come back later." The man said with a shrug, watching the boy keenly.

"I have a fox in my gut that is raving about blood, it's not adrenaline." The boy said gruffly, watching his teammate earnestly.

"Hm. Well, regardless I have a mission. I was wondering if you wanted to hop along."

"Nope." Jiraiya noted the boy was still watching his teammate, like a hawk. The man sighed, running a hand over his face at the dealing with of teenage hormones.

"Okay brat, let's look at this rationally. You need to get out of this village. If you don't, things are gonna go downhill." The blonde reared up to protest. "The people in this village didn't magically begin liking the Kyūbi. And feeling it's chakra all day? The shock of the invasion won't last forever."

He saw a response die on the blonde's lips and he hummed.

"Sarutobi-sensei isn't here to defend you anymore." The man noticed the blonde was at the very least, listening. "So, come with me on this mission. Your teammate's gonna be fine and by the time we get back, she'll be strutting around and brooding before you know it."

His quip got a quick snort out of the blonde, a faint smile on his face as he watched his teammate.

"Yeah... That sounds about right." The boy frowned though."What's the mission?"

"Since Sarutobi-sensei's gone, the village needs someone familiar and strong to be the Hokage. Village also needs a stronger healer because almost half the deaths yesterday were because the injury just couldn't be healed. We're gonna go find my teammate, and bring her back to be Hokage."

"The last Sannin I met gave Satsuki-chan a curse mark and killed two of my most precious people, how do I know this lady is any different?" Jiraiya frowned at the reminder of his teammate's actions.

"Tsunade has a bad temper but she's not cruel. She's just got her demons like the rest of us. Like your teammate there, like me, like Kakashi, and like you. Literally." Naruto hadn't stopped tapping his foot. "You don't have to decide right now, just give me an answer by the end of tomorrow. I'll be around the hot springs."

The man left without a sound and Naruto's fingers clenched as they gripped each other tightly, his tapping continuing through the office. Now he had to go find a replacement for his grandfather-figure, act as though the man had barely existed.

Replace him with a woman who had abandoned Konoha decades ago. He had to leave the village because the villagers hated him for defending them the best he could.

_He was only thirteen._

Tears pricked at the edges of the blonde's vision as he looked down at the hospital tiles, his teeth gritting as he choked on his own remorse. All the while, the Kyūbi whispered sweet temptations, edging the blonde towards the dark abyss of despair. Naruto felt swayed, struggling with his demons as tears leaked out of his eyes.

"Stop that damn tapping."

His head snapped up, true silence finally happening. He met charcoal eyes and he couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face even if he wanted to. She gave him a smirk that went away as she saw the look in his eye.

"Idiot." She warned. "Don't- oof!"

Naruto crashed into her in a bear hug, crashing on top of her as he hugged her tight. She reared her arm up to bring down on his head, stopping as she felt his shaking; the wet splotches on her shirt soaking to her naval. She eased as for the first time in memory, she saw Naruto cry.

It was almost an otherworldly thing to the Uchiha, the blonde had always been this rock that seemed to never be affected by anything. He was always just... Naruto. His sobs became audible to her and she felt slightly bad for making him worry.

She didn't really know what to do so she just put a hand on top of his head, seeing the flakes of blood in his hair and ignoring them as she ran her hand over surprisingly soft spikes. Here she was, her sole blonde teammate sobbing on her stomach while he knelt at her bedside.

Would she sob if she was in his position? Would she cry at the loss of Naruto? An instantaneous hard tug on her heart answered it for her. She felt slightly surprised that the loss of her teammate- her stomach twisted painfully at the word and she winced slightly.

She internally sighed as her attention went back to the top of his head, her fingers tweaking through each spike and making it bounce beneath her fingers. Her emotions settled themselves and presented the result to her mind, her brain accepting it surprisingly easy as she ran her nails over his scalp.

She had feelings for him.

The blonde's head tilted slightly, the sight of him asleep as he used her naval as a pillow became evident. She gave him a flat glare that he snorted at in his sleep, a small smirk coming to her lips at the noise as she turned her eye to the window, the sky had light orange streaks to show it was nearing dusk.

She looked down and began rubbing her hand against a small bloodstain on his cheek. The absent-minded action made the boy start emitting a noise that had her stilling. She gained a mischievous smile and ran the pad of her finger over his cheek once more to confirm her theory.

The blonde purred when he had his whisker rubbed and she smiled in joy, rubbing it over and over as he continuously purred.

"Isn't that sweet."

Her head snapped up to meet her teacher's gaze, he had barely covered his Sharingan in time to hide it from her.

"That's definitely a keeper." He said with a more reserved smile, patting the leaf plate covering his eye. She scowled fiercely but said nothing. "Ah, your face reads acceptance~"

"Acceptance? Of what?" She questioned, playing dumb rather well.

"Meh, now you're just lying to the both of us." She frowned rather fiercely, giving up the facade of ignorance. "So, does the last Uzumaki become an Uchiha or does the last Uchiha become and Uzumaki?"

"Uchiha is a far more prestigious name." She said instantly, her eyes widening slightly as she caught herself. She sighed in acceptance as her head fell back on the plush pillow, the chuckles of her teacher ringing in her ears.

"Given our favorite blonde's general lack of awareness, I take it that he does not know?" Kakashi asked, walking to the other side of the bed. "Drool?"

"Tears."

"Rejection? Cruel."

"No. He was crying when I woke up." Kakashi hummed at the words. "Was it really that bad?"

"On paper, not necessarily considering the situation. However, Naruto himself is having a different go of it." She frowned. "Well, I am sure you remember his relationship with Sandaime-sama. He died, I would assume that hurt quite badly. There's also the fact this was his first real battle."

"He lost his sword." Kakashi's brow rose high at that, the girl becoming shame faced as she looked at the blonde. "I was bleeding out and the idiot was carrying me back. That Mangetsu guy grabbed me. Naruto traded the sword for me." Kakashi's hum was much louder as he slowly flipped a page.

"I guess that would trigger an acceptance of one's emotions." Her glare was biting as her fist lashed out, the man catching it before it could reach. "According to the rumor mill, our resident prankster is leaving for a mission day after tomorrow." She furrowed her brow and stilled at the same time.

"He just took on the Ichibi."

"It's a rather peaceful mission. He and Jiraiya-sama are apparently going to retrieve Tsunade-sama to become the Godaime." She blinked, the most legendary kunoichi returning to the village would be amazing.

"That's... good."

"On paper."

"How?" She snapped.

"Tsunade-sama has abandoned Konoha for the past twenty years, why would she return now? Even if she did return, the faith in her would be practically none. Her image in the eye of any ANBU or Jōnin would be worse than dirt." Satsuki looked bleak at the words. "But that's grown-up stuff. You don't need to worry about that."

"What should I be worried about?" She asked back, Kakashi humming.

"The fact Naruto has been awake for the past ten minutes?" Her eyes snapped to the blonde, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Her Sharingan activated and could see the inconsistencies in his breathing. She hit him in the shoulder, hard.

"Ow! Why'd ya wake me up like that, Satsuki-chan!" He groaned, rubbing his shoulder as she turned to his teacher. "Kakashi-sensei, when'd you get here?" The man gave an eye smile as he turned away.

"Have fun!" Was all he said before he left.

Naruto turned to his teammate, meeting her dark eyes with a sheepish laugh and a head rub.

"How much did you hear?" She asked instantly, narrowed eyes bearing down on him.

"Not much?" She groaned at his words, her head falling back on the pillow. "So like-"

"After I kill him." He gaped at her, his jaw slack as she crossed her arms. "We'll talk about it after I kill him."

"But that could be in like two years!" She rose a solitary brow.

"So?" A myriad of emotions flashed over his face, hunger being the main one she could recognize. "Desert comes after for a reason."

"But some people like their deserts!" He whined, chin resting on her stomach as he looked up at her. She rolled her eyes, fighting down any flush as she glared down at him. "C'mon! That's so unfair!"

"It is probably the fairest thing I could do." He whined, turning his head and making the noise against her naval. "Stop that." She smacked him over the head despite it feeling good, the boy not even stopping and now just making any noise he wanted. "Why are you being such a pain?"

He rumbled against her hospital gown but did not answer, the girl's eyes flitting to the doorway to make sure there were no perverted teachers watching the relatively innocent act. She pulled his head up by the hair and only got a further whine from him.

"Why even are you being so persistent about this? I practically said yes just on a rain check." His eyes shifted away, mumbling under his breath. She sighed before jerking him around by his hair, the boy hissing at the act as he held the roots of his spiky hair. "Answer now."

"Kyūbi said I'm in heat!" He hissed out, snagging her hand out of his hair and sighing in relief. "Happy?"

"Humans don't go in heat." She said slowly.

"That's what I said! He said it's the same thing as me and the whiskers. Some things just kinda went to me." He peeled back his lip and showed the fact he had slightly longer than average canines. "See?" He mumbled as he let it fall back down.

"So... The fox gives you chakra, whiskers, teeth and... it's mating habits." She was clearly dubious as she said this slowly. He hummed an affirmative as his head rested against her side. "Is that why you've been so touchy-feely?"

"Yeah." Naruto murmured, picking up her hand and playing with it. She slapped the back of the hand that was doing that but it just returned to it's ministrations. She sighed in defeat as he began playing with her fingers like he was an infant.

"How long does this... heat last?" The blonde shrugged.

"Like a week." She blinked, she'd expected much longer. "But Kyūbi says it gets worse overtime." She quirked her lips to the side at the word.

"And how... deep in are you?" He hummed, mentally counting.

"One more day." She twitched.

"Of course." She blinked. "Wait, he's a mass of chakra. He doesn't even mate!"

"Kyūbi won't answer me on that. He just told me why and when I'm in heat and that's it." Naruto actually nuzzled against her palm, placing his forehead against her palm as he hummed.

"So what you're just horny?" She jolted slightly as his head snapped to hers.

"All. The. Time." He grit out, it clearly annoyed him. "It's soooo annoying."

"How many times have you gone through this?" He blinked innocently.

"This is the first time." She grumbled at that. "But! I found out that foxes are mono-something." She rose a brow at the something as he shrugged. "But it means that they mate for life!"

"So... whoever you lose your virginity to, you're practically married to." He blinked at that as he scratched the top of his head.

"Never thought about it like that... sure!" He said with a blinding smile as her eye twitched slightly. "Satsuki-chan!" He whined, dragging out the chan as he held her hand, tugging back and forth on it like a toddler.

"There is no way I am doing anything with you when you just told me you literally mate for life." He whined even louder as she pulled away her hand.

"Uchiha-san?" A voice asked, knocking on the door.

"Get!" She hissed at him, his face taking that of a kicked puppy but she was not having it. "Naruto we can talk later, go!" He groaned but darted out the window just as the door began to slide open to reveal a nurse.

"I was just told to tell you you're free to go, Uchiha-san."

* * *

Satsuki sighed in comfort, blowing on her tea slightly as she sat in the never-ending silence of her home. It was in the middle of the entire district, no other humans for a quarter mile in either direction and it was blissful peace.

It was ruined by a repetitive knocking at her door. She narrowed her eyes in distaste and annoyance as she rose, poking her head out of the kitchen to see a familiar silhouette wreathed by orange dusk light.

"When I said later, I meant tomorrow. Go home, Naruto." She called, glaring at the silhouette as though willing it to disappear.

"That's kinda the thing." She watched him rub his head despite not even knowing she was watching him. "So like, a massive three-headed snake crushed my apartment." She rose a brow, not budging.

"Insurance money."

"The Old Man paid the bills on it and rented it out to me, he woulda got the insurance money." She saw the blonde droop slightly and her lips pursed.

"So you came here."

"Well, I dunno where anyone else lives. I mean, I think Ino has a flower shop or somethin' but I don't really know her."

"You don't know where Kakashi lives?" At this point, she felt resignation settle in her.

"Do you?!" He almost sounded excited to know where their enigmatic teacher lives.

"No..." She rubbed at her brow with a sigh. "Fine, go take a house or something."

"Didn't people die in those?" He whispered loudly, his form actually shrinking and his head whipping this way and that. She smothered a laugh as she recrossed her arms.

"Are you really scared of make-believe ghosts?"

"They aren't make believe!" She rolled her eyes, her eyes flitting to the side to see her tea was now more than likely cold as the steam no longer emanated from it.

"People died in this house too." The Uchiha heiress remarked, suppressing the memories of her parents' corpses.

"Nah, your general broodiness scared away any ghosts." She smiled at how confident he sounded in his words, taking note of the pack on his shoulder.

"Naruto, there is no way that you are going to be in the same building as me when I am asleep and you are in heat." He groaned, smacking his forehead.

"C'mon! I'll sleep on the couch! You can even put up like ninja wire or somethin' I dunno. I promise I won't like violate you or somethin'. I never go back on my promises." She sighed heavily, looking to the skies to cast a quick prayer before walking to the door and flinging it open.

The blonde's smile was blinding as he saw her. It quickly changed it's sharpness at what she wore as he turned away, looking into the street as he covered his eyes.

"You got any sweats?" She blinked, looking down to see her usual at-home attire; the attire he'd seen her in over a month and change ago. She gained a mischievous smile as she stepped to the side, dragging Naruto in before sliding the door shut.

"Nope. These are my only pair." She stepped up behind him and let her breath touch his hair. "And I'm wearing _nothing_ under this." She took joy in his whimper as she sauntered into the main room, lotus sitting as she sipped her now room-temperature tea.

He pat his pants rhythmically, looking anywhere but her as she smirked into her tea; this was more fun than she'd thought it'd be. She could read every ounce of tension in his body, his eyes' sharpness and the way his fingers were splayed out and terse.

"You know how we had those kunoichi classes?" She asked, watching her tea swirl as she heated it.

"Yep. You always looked really grumpy after them." Satsuki hummed in response.

"They were mainly given for infiltration reasons, so the kunoichi could blend in and not practically scream 'kunoichi'." He made an affirmative sound, looking at a painting longer than she'd ever seen him look at anything. "Well, there were also seduction classes but those were optional." He gulped.

"And Naruto?"

"Yeah?" He asked shakily.

"I took them." He gave a very slow nod as his fist clenched and unclenched. "We learned how to read body expressions as well as eyes. And you looked practically primal when you saw me." She could hear her own smirk as she watched him blow out a deep breath. "So out of curiosity, what are you thinking about?"

"The Kyūbi's showing me images of me pinning you to the wall and... yeah." She blinked. "It sounds _really_ good." Her eyes flashed and her cheeks flushed slightly at the words, smirking because she knew he'd confined himself with his own words.

"You want to pin me against the wall?" She could see his jaw clench, her smirk gaining size as she watched him. "Have me under your hands and helpless? To do whatever with?" She idly wondered how far she could push him. She'd never seen her teammate snap truly and was pondering if she was able to do that.

"Have nothing to say?" She was suddenly behind him in a burst of speed, their equal height making it easy for her to lean her head onto his shoulder. "Or do you want me to be the one talking? To scream your name? Ask for _more?_ " She saw his tension reach an all new high.

Naruto's pupil flickered briefly, the round orb changing slit for a brief moment as he made eye contact. She hummed, staring him down as azure locked with charcoal. The tension in the room became stifling, the air becoming hot as they stared at one another.

"I want to push you over the edge." She whispered. "To see you finally snap. But then, we'd end up rutting like animals." She remarked, seeing his whiskers darken ever so slightly. She licked her top lip tantalizingly, leaning in closer to her teammate.

"We'd _fuck_."

Before she knew, the blonde had grasped her by the hips and pushed her up to the wall. A melodious laugh filled the house as Naruto was doused in smoke. The blonde blinked out of his haze to see her sitting at the table as though she'd never left.

"That seemed an awful lot like violation." He growled audibly at her words, stalking towards her as his fingers tensed.

"It's not violating if you want it too." She blinked, brow furrowing at his description as she rose to her feet warily.

"That's not how violation works. Naruto, stop it." He rumbled, the noise coming from deep in his throat and making a shiver go down her spine. She saw the slight quiver in his jaw and felt an ounce of regret. That ounce was filled with bits of fear and feeling bad for him.

"I just want a hug." She didn't buy it for a second as she began to back up slowly.

"And then that's followed by you trying to hump me like a dog. Not interested."

"Are you sure?"

His rumbling voice made near a half dozen different sensations of tingling and shivering go through her as she shuddered out a breath.

"C'mon, you look almost as bad as me." She glared at him as she backed through a doorway, keeping the blonde a good ten paces away. "No one'll know, it'll just be us."

"And then you'll go on your mission to find a Hokage." He actually blinked in surprise at that before he smiled sharper than before.

"So if I don't go, we can?" She scrunched her face up at his words. "He offered the mission, I didn't accept."

"You would pass up meeting one of the Sannin for sex." He growled at the word, physically vibrating at the label of sex.

"I've met two of the Sannin, they're overrated." She noted he was far more aggressive in his speech as he continued to stride forward. "So? I'll stay. I'll make you feel good, _that's_ a promise."

"We are not going from teammates to mates for life in a day." She stressed the word day as she found the stairs behind her, he was slowly cornering her.

"Why not?" Her mind screeched to a halt at the simple question.

"Because... there's things that go before that! Confessions, dates, typical relationship things!" She said with an arm flail of frustration that he was outwitting her at this. Must be the fox, far too cunning.

"We're the last of our clans. Who cares? You want me, I definitely want you. We're ninja, we can do whatever we want." She pursed her lips but stopped when she saw his eyes linger on them.

"But we can't just become lovers for life in a day!" She screamed in frustration as he blinked at her.

"I can't think of it being anyone else."

The single sentence literally shut her mind down at the sheer sincerity behind it. Her mind raced, thinking of any other potential people she had ever thought of doing anything romantic with but she came up blank. Every known male face she could think of gave a resounding no for different reasons.

And then there was Naruto, the one person she knew near their age who could rival her in power. The one who could make her blood rush and take whatever she threw at him.

"Give me one." He whispered, suddenly right in front of her and his eyes not two inches away from hers. "One solid no and I will back off." She bit her cheek as she felt heat go through her as his aura hit her, the blonde's warmth radiating and his eyes practically dangerous.

She felt the words right on the tip of her tongue, ready to be said only to be stopped by a whine in the back of her throat. Her will wavered in it's firm stance and as though it were the one card it required, it all collapsed.

"Go for it." She breathed out.

He needed nothing else as his eyes flashed.

She moaned into his mouth as he was suddenly on her, nipping and sucking at her lips with a hunger that substituted for his lack of experience. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let a hand tangle in his hair, undoing his headband as she did so.

It clunked to the ground with a dull thud and she heard him step on it slightly. He grunted into her mouth, attacking it from another angle as he practically devoured her lips, the feeling encompassing her as he punted the headband to the side.

They stumbled around the hallway wildly, trying to find a door while also not separating, every lip smack a gulp of air as they hounded one another. While he devoured her sweetness, she let herself be surrounded in his warmth as the feeling of being near him surrounded her.

He suddenly growled, the sound reverberating in her own throat and she moaned slightly at the feeling. He picked her up, grabbing her by the thighs and carrying her like she was a pillow. She moaned once more, the two rubbing against one another as she wrapped her legs around him.

Naruto's aggressiveness showed as he kicked the door to the side, entering the room belonging to the girl in his arms. He shuffled forward, eyes closed as he tried to take more and more of the Uchiha wrapped around him. He pushed forward, grinding his core against hers and both moaned loudly.

His legs met hard resistance, the edge of the bed making it's presence known. He squeezed her thighs, the soft flesh pushing around in his hands like putty as he lost himself in how good she felt.

The blonde fell forward onto the bed, the girl yelping slightly as he pinned her, hands on either side of her head as he consumed her lips. Her tongue darted into his mouth and caused a small war, the two refusing to allow the other victory.

Her tongue won out in the end and she allowed herself a moment of triumph amidst the pleasure. He separated his lips from hers, a string of saliva connecting them as they both panted. The heat became stronger, the two sweating under the intense warmth but neither complaining.

He craned his neck to the side, sucking on her pale flesh as the taste of salt and vanilla filled his mouth. Her pants in his ear became encouragement as he continued to push on, beginning to nip at her neck.

She outright moaned when he first used his teeth, the noise making him do it again and again. She pulled him in closer with her legs as she undid the zipper on his pants, letting her hands roam over his front as he bit on her neck.

His eyes peered open slightly and saw the circular black mark on her neck. He growled and grunted in primal possession. He lurched forward and clamped his mouth over the mark, biting his teeth against her skin to the point of puncture. She made a low cooing noise in his ear, her hips humping against his own as he did it.

"You're mine." Naruto growled in her ear, clamping his teeth down on her earlobe as she gasped in his ear, rolling her core against his.

"And you belong to me." She whispered in his own ear, giving him love bites of her own along his neck as his throat rumbled in pleasure, the noise roiling and hot against her skin.

His hands clamped down on her hips harshly, Satsuki hissed in his ear as he began to rub where he'd hit, her pale porcelain skin growing red. One hand gripped her left hip, holding her down tight as the other snaked up her tank top.

She bit down on his skin hard as he fondled her breast, the blonde rubbing his palm over her hard nipple. She moaned lowly into his skin, her teeth drawing blood as he hissed in response. He pinched her nipple and she cried out in pleasure, arching against him as he rolled it between his fingers.

"Naruto." She cooed, panting harshly and flushed as he manipulated her breasts. She gave another wanton moan as he pinched the small pebble hard once more, the feeling sending electrifying pleasure up and down her spine.

She shimmied him out of his shirt and he immediately took off her own top. She let out a cry of pleasure as tears came to her eyes, Naruto's teeth rolling her nipple around in his mouth as he sucked on her breast.

She gripped his hair tight as she shoved him into her chest, humping his hard crotch as he sucked on her nipple.

"Naruto. Now." The blonde got the message and pinched her other nipple as hard as he could, the girl in his hands becoming putty as she cried out wanton moans and rutted against him.

He pushed down her shorts just enough and pulled himself out of his zipper hole and then, he was inside.

Both practically howled in pleasure, their virginities gone forever as they began to grind against each other. He pulled her legs straight and took off her short-shorts and it became carnal from there on.

His hands slapped down on her hips, a loud clap going through the room and he began to thrust himself forward. Satsuki panted, moaning in the back of her throat for the sensation as needy gasps escaped her. He tried to push farther but his pants got in the way. He growled savagely, ripping them apart as the button for them flew.

They fell to the ground in tatters and he slammed forwards, both reaching a feeling they'd never though possible. Her nails dug into his back, easily piercing his skin with the knuckle-white grip she had on him. He didn't even hesitate as he nibbled on her earlobe.

"Naru-"

Satsuki gave a literal scream as he pulled himself out almost fully and then slammed back into her all the way, rubbing against her up and down before making small thrusts. The sounds of wet slaps filled the room as he gripped her hips to the point of bruising, the two rutting wildly as she gripped his wrists in painful bliss.

She gave little huffs that he found hot as hell, the blonde leaning down and biting her nipple, slamming his hips up and down into her constantly.

"I'm gonna-" She gave another moan as he pinched her other nipple, the two go nearly cross-eyes in bliss as they drove each other over the edge.

"Here." He rose back, looming over her on his knees as he pounded into her with a new vigor. "It." His teeth were grit and his eyes were carnal as he pulled all the way out. He watched a wet strand connect them and saw Satsuki open her eyes. "COMES!"

"Ah!" Her eyes shot open wide as he slammed to the base inside of her, hovering over as he shuddered, shooting himself inside her as her legs jerked. Their orgasms mixed as Naruto ran a hand over her side slowly.

She panted in his ear for several seconds, tiring heavily at the influx of emotions and physical feelings. She moaned as his hardness returned, the blonde capturing her lips in a kiss as he dove down on her.

Not much sleep was had.

* * *

Naruto groaned at the warm feeling on his eyelids as he buried himself in the head of hair in front of him. Despite not enjoying waking up, the blonde was always quite aware when he woke up and instantly knew where he was.

The naked flesh sticking to his own was a clear indication.

He pulled her in closer, the girls back becoming flush with his front and her rear rubbing against him. He groaned slightly, peppering kisses on the back of her neck as she hummed in pleasure. He ground against her subconsciously and got a groan out of her.

"No." She muttered, nestling against him as he continued to lay kisses against her nape. "Some of us bruise and I am too sore." His eyes dragged down and he felt slightly bad at the sight of dried blood on her thighs and the bruises on her hips, her nipples dark.

"Sorry." He murmured against her skin, laying kisses on the bruises he had made along her neck. She chuckled lightly, craning her neck aside to give him better access.

"Pretty sure that's the first time you've ever apologized." She commented, humming in comfort at the feather-light kisses. "That's a good consolation but, I am going to need a shower." He growled against her neck, grazing his teeth ever so lightly on her skin as his arms tightened around her.

She put a hand over his own, the two laying in a morning-after glow. She hissed suddenly, running through two hand signs and a pale purple glow over her waist. He hummed in curiosity as his head rested against her own.

"Contraceptive jutsu." He blinked. "So I can't get pregnant." She said slowly, as though talking to a slow child.

"So... I don't ever have to worry?" She slapped his side as he chuckled against her skin, the feeling reverberating against her as she sighed in comfort.

"As nice as you're being, I know it's only a matter of time before you act on that." She ground back against his stiffness as he hissed in a mixture of pleasure and relief. She then broke from his arms and stood, stretching her arms over her head as she yawned.

He waddled up behind her on his knees, wrapping his arms around her from behind as he tugged her his way slightly.

"Stay." He pleaded, kissing her shoulder and upper bicep as she laughed. She slowly began to slip the arm out of his grasp, the boy looking at her pleadingly.

"I, need a shower. And you," She stepped forward and kissed him, the blondes hands settling on her hips. He suddenly jolted as she abruptly grasped him. "Need to take care of this." She whispered, pulling away from him.

"C'mon! Five minutes!" He pleaded once more, the girl rolling her eyes obligingly as she stopped in the doorway.

"And then five becomes ten and then ten becomes an hour." He smirked at being caught as she nodded mockingly. "You're not as much of a sly fox as you think."

"I got you with that slyness!" Her snort sounded as she turned to him with a raised brow. "If it were up to you, we would not have had that awesomeness for who knows how long."

"Hn." He fell back on the bed palming himself as she rolled her eyes, waggling her fingers in a wave as she made for the shower.

Ten minutes later Naruto was slurping some bland tea in the kitchen, sitting on the counter as the pipes for the shower ran with running water in the walls. He blinked at hearing some footsteps near the doorway, hopping off the counter to greet who he thought to be their teacher.

"Why are we here again?" An unfamiliar voice asked as Naruto rounded the corner, stilling in shock at the sight before him.

"I had a suspicion. It was obviously correct." A lighter voice said, the two men now identified to Naruto as he glared at the taller of the two and more importantly; the skull-pommeled bundle on his back.

"Hoshigaki Kisame!" Naruto crouched somewhat low, unprepared in only a t-shirt and shorts.

"Whaddya know, a brat with knowledge." The newly identified blue man remarked, a bloodthirsty grin on his face as he stared at Naruto.

"And what exactly, are you doing in my old home Naruto-kun?" Asked the softer voice, red eyes bearing down on Naruto as he glared at the black-haired teen.

"Your home?" Understanding dawned as he blinked. "Ya know, Satsuki-chan really wants to kill you."

"And where is, my idiotic sister?" The man asked, staring down at the blonde before him with blood-freezing coldness. Naruto paused to notice the pipes had indeed stopped running.

"Around."

"Hn." It seemed to be a genetic thing. "Well, regardless, I ask that you peacefully come with us, Naruto-kun."

"Oh? Where we goin'?"

"Can't I just cut off his legs? It'll make this a lot easier."

"Samehada doesn't cut." The blue man blinked his beady eyes as he grinned larger.

"And what do you know about Samehada?" The man let a hand rest on the handle of his sentient sword as he spoke.

"Samehada is a sentient creature that picks her user off of the density and potency of their chakra." The blonde's whiskers began to darken as he stared up at Kisame. "And Samehada belongs to me."

"Oh? A brat with good knowledge. Well, the Uzumaki got them taken away. Try and take her back." Naruto grinned as he scratched his chin, the nail elongating as he did the action.

"Don't wanna mess up Satsuki-chan's house, she dusts well." Itachi made a point of examining his surroundings at the remark.

"Looks different without the blood of our parents staining the walls. Must have been quite hard to clean."

"Oh, I get why she wants to kill ya." The oldest Uchiha made an understanding hum as he returned his attention to the other two. "So, whatcha two want me for again?"

"Your ability to stall is staggeringly impressive, Naruto-kun." As soon as the words were said, Naruto had burst straight through the rice paper front door and a red bubbling cloak enveloped him. "Quite impressive." Naruto's eyes snapped up to meet red ones, the teen floating in front of him like a wraith.

"But you are already caught."

Naruto snapped out of the genjutsu to see himself tied down with rope on the front porch, Samehada held against his chest.

"It's futile Naruto-kun, come peacefully." He looked up to see Itachi's eyes now black once more.

"Heh, don't ya know? Samehada loves dense chakra, and Uzumaki's got the densest chakra around-ttebayo!" The blonde exploded with chakra, the wood planks beneath him splintering and cracking under it's power. Samehada began to wriggle as she sucked up his chakra.

"Heh, I've got the strongest chakra in the world." Kisame boasted, holding Samehada firm against Naruto's chest. "Why do you think I'm Samehada's partner?" This continued for another few seconds, any aura Naruto gave being absorbed into the massive sword.

It ripped from it's bandages and it's massive maw was now right in front of the blonde Uzumaki.

"Samehada." Naruto said, grinning foxily as he stared into the eyeless monster's mouth. "I'll give you this chakra everyday, join me and you'll never go hungry." The monster whined for a few moments, sucking up the chakra as he continued to supply it.

"This is mesmerizing." Itachi commented. "He's supplied more chakra than I possess and yet, neither seem fazed. Kisame, beware."

"Nah, Samehada likes seafood. She'd never-" He was cut off by a shout of pain as massive barbs punched through his hand, the shark-man letting go of the blade in surprise. Samehada lurched forward and bit through the ropes binding Naruto.

"Now!" Naruto shouted and Kisame barely turned to see a lightning-wielding Satsuki charging. Kisame easily side-stepped the attack and the girl instead charged into her older brother. Itachi made it look effortless.

He pinched her forearm and thrust it to the side, the lightning fizzling out as she tried to lash out with the other hand. He slapped the attack away and slammed that fist into her gut deep, the girl lifting up on the punch.

The eldest Uchiha then leapt back at the sight of a Kyūbi-enhanced Naruto slamming Samehada down where he'd been standing.

"Those are very interesting bruises." Itachi remarked, Kisame landing beside him as the Kiri-nin ran through hand signs, the area becoming encompassed in mist. "One could say love bruises. And the slight stagger, a very familiar way of walk." Itachi's voice echoed through the dense fog.

It all went into nothing as Samehada sucked it up, now fat and heavily resting beside Naruto. It revealed that Itachi and Kisame had not even moved, Itachi's red eyes alight.

"Foolish little sister, simply giving away your virginity at such an age?" His tone rang with indifference but the words were undeniably judging. Satsuki growled, standing beside Naruto as she glared at her brother with frothing fury.

"Itachi! You murdered the clan! A dead man has no say in anything I do!" She roared loudly.

"Hn. Quite an interesting position. I fear, that we have overstayed our welcome Kisame." Itachi commented, stepping back as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, I'd consider it quite overstayed." The two missing-nin looked up to see the rooftops around them filled. Asuma and Guy fell down in front of the two teens, Jiraiya and Kakashi looming on the house behind them menacingly.

"Kisame, are you capable of escaping this?"

"Not without Samehada." He admitted, beginning to run through some signs. "Make sure to let leader know." Itachi looked to the sky with a forlorn look, giving Kisame a nod as he turned.

"Goodbye, old friend." As though he'd never been there, Itachi's eyes flared into a three-pronged shuriken before disappearing.

"He's running." Kakashi said, staring at Kisame. "Guy! Move!"

The Green Beast needed no further prompt as he grabbed both teenagers before leaping onto the roof beside Jiraiya.

"This last fight of mine better be good!" Kisame roared before a spout of water exploded from his mouth. It looked as though a dam had a hole in it as water began filling the street, hitting a seemingly invisible wall as it spread.

Three Jōnin were instantly covered in the water. They seemingly froze in place, not able to swim or even move.

"A wide-scale water prison..." Jiraiya muttered, watching the technique rise as though hitting a magical boundary. It was now a ten foot by ten foot cube of water, only Kisame and the three Jōnin within. "Well, he'll have to..."

He trailed off as Kisame suddenly darted around in the water, bubbles tracking behind him and he bit out two throats before snapping the neck of the third.

"Very dangerous." Jiraiya said gravely as he stared back at the beady eyes of the crazed Kiri-nin. "No jutsu is flawless. Kakashi."

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama." He began running through hand signs before a dog of pure lightning darted for the cube of water. Kisame grinned wider, leaping from the massive cube of water as it became static. The fish-man was instantly impaled by a Jōnin, a sword punching through his heart.

"Good." Jiraiya stood straight.

"Heh..." A voice rasped. "As if that's ENOUGH!"

They all watched in morbid awe as Kisame snapped the neck of the Jōnin holding the sword, pulling it out of him slowly with a splat. Blood tracked down the blade and dribbled to the ground, the life fluid leaking from his wound.

"C'mon." Killing intent flooded the air with power comparable to that of the Kyūbi as the man gave a pointed grin, blood staining his white teeth red. "Who's next?"

"Don't go near!" Jiraiya's voice was hard as he ordered the nervous Jōnin around them. "Use ranged jutsu!"

"Know this, Uzumaki boy!" Kisame's voice was booming as he grinned up at the group atop the nearby rooftop. "You did not deliver the finishing blow, you do not deserve Samehada!"

"Uzumaki rules, Sushi-head!" The man gave a sharp smile. A moment later he was looming over Naruto, leaking blood on the blonde with a lightning-charged fist punched through his chest and both arms cut off. The man coughed out a mouthful of blood on the blonde, racking the blonde with stillness as he grinned.

"Kiri... Rules."

And the man died with those words.

* * *

"Well, this has been very interesting." Kakashi commented in the Uchiha main room, the only adult at the table. Satsuki was still, face colder than ice as she glared at a knot in the wood. Naruto himself seemed almost unfazed, running a hand over his sword's scales.

"I guess this is where explanation time comes in?" Jiraiya appeared through the window, landing with ease and taking a lotus seat beside Kakashi. "Those two men came here for one reason and one reason only: Naruto."

"What was up with the outfits?" Naruto asked, Satsuki also tilting her head up to hear the answer.

"They are a part of an organization, Akatsuki. I don't know much about the organization but I know a few things. It is an organization comprised of only S-rank missing-nin." Naruto stilled in his petting. "And they are after tailed beasts."

"They failed." Satsuki said.

"Yes, they did this time. However, that is their first known failure and they've successfully taken down two Jinchūriki." Naruto's eyes widened at the words as Jiraiya nodded slowly. "Yeah, they're the real deal."

"So... Akatsuki has two of the Bijū..." Naruto muttered, the two men frowning in confusion at the words as Satsuki cast a side glance at her teammate. "Uh, that reminds me. What happened to Gaara?" Jiraiya hummed as he turned to Kakashi who turned a page in the smut written by the man beside him.

"He was returned to Suna in good faith for a much more beneficial alliance for Konoha." Naruto frowned deeper at the words.

"And Itachi?" Satsuki's face was morphed into a glare of hatred, the seal on her neck darker than usual.

"Akatsuki seems to assign certain pairs to Jinchūriki, chances are he'll come around." Jiraiya said, rubbing his chin. "I had thought of taking you out of this village Naruto, today has proved it's safe enough."

"Oh yeah, I can't go on that mission." Jiraiya blinked at the answer.

"You sure? Tsunade's like your, great cousin or something." The toad sage said. Naruto hesitated ever so slightly. This, of course, warranted him a heel to the toe which he barely reacted to, the sound it made was still heard. "Heh, whipped young."

"Weren't we all?" Kakashi drawled, an eye closing as he smiled. Naruto rubbed the back of his head as Satsuki rolled her eyes.

"Well, seems he gives as good as he gets though." Jiraiya was suddenly scribbling as Satsuki's hand snapped to her neck, covering the hickies the best she could.

"Your lips are swollen too, Satsuki." Kakashi sang with mirth as the girl's lips inverted. She then huffed before rising and leaving through the back of the house with calm, measured steps. "Oops?"

"Yeah, she seemed kinda mad about Itachi and all that." Naruto said as he scratched his jaw, staring at the doorway she'd disappeared through.

"That, is your cue to follow." Jiraiya said sagely as he scribbled.

"She seemed mad, I feel like Satsuki-chan would just hit me."

"That means she wants you to stay." Kakashi chimed in as Naruto blinked, Jiraiya nodding in agreement.

"Oh... kay." The blonde turned to his new sword. "You wanna hang out here?" The sword trilled as it sprawled across the blanket it was on, still larger than usual. He pet it one last time before waving. "See ya, Kakashi-sensei and." The blonde frowned. "What's a good name for you?"

"Jiraiya-sama?" The white-haired man asked sarcastically.

"Nah, something more real." The man gave a flat stare as Kakashi hummed in amusement. "Eh, I'll think about it later."

The blonde dipped out of the house and came to a wide backyard that led to a beaten path. He took it and after a few moments, came to the sight of the training grounds he'd seen over a month ago.

Satsuki was beating a Wing Chun dummy furiously, doing well against it for the entire time Naruto watched her. He felt a familiar feeling and shifted himself around, hiding his obvious pleasure as he stepped forward.

"Hey."

She slammed a palm strike in the middle of the dummy before stepping back with a huff, turning with a noticeable movement in her red eyes.

"You followed." She stated as though in surprise and exasperation.

"I was told that was best." He said, rocking back and forth on the balls of his heels.

"By two men who read smut and are not in relationships." He chuckled sheepishly. "Idiot."

"You've got an extra thing in your eye." He pointed to his own for reference. She blinked before stepping forward, jerking his head down to see her reflection in the headband.

"It's fully matured." She said as though in amazement.

"Is that, good?" He asked, head at an odd angle as she forced it down. She let go of his head as she smiled sharply.

"Very. My eyes are as good as his now." Naruto nodded slowly in understanding despite not really having it. "Fight me." He blinked.

"Right now? 'Cuz-" He was sent flying back with a snap kick as he rolled across the dirt, coming to a stop slowly.

"Yes, now."

She surged forward, bringing her foot down in an ax kick that he cross-blocked before rocketing a punch into her stomach. She diverted the blow and chopped him in the neck, giving an elbow to the top of his head as she leapt off him.

She landed and three shadow clones swarmed her, one diving on her only to be dispelled with a punch to the ribs. The other two tried to kick and punch but she simply evaded the easily seen attacks and jabbed them both.

"With these eyes, you can't even sort of keep up." She gained a big grin, running through hand seals before her body arched in a familiar way. Naruto dashed to the side of the large fireball and blitzed at the girl.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking." They were in an intense taijutsu fight for several moments before Naruto lurched forward, grabbing her collar and head-butting her. Their headbands lowered the effect but it was still there. She groaned before snapping out a kick that Naruto caught.

He pulled her by the leg before pinning her to the dirt.

"I think that was a good spar." He commented, hands flitting across her waist as red eyes stared into his soul. She hit him with her palm right in the chest, the blonde falling back and off of her.

"If you think that I am doing anything even remotely near those two you are brain-damaged." He pouted before nodding with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's fair." He rose with a clap to shake the dust. "So, whaddya wanna do today?"

"Train." A noise deep in his throat rumbled, the blonde sidling up beside the anti-social ravenette as he did so. "I already said no."

"But Suki-chan..."

"Since when did my name lose half of it's letters?" She returned, a single dark brow risen in questioning as he groaned deep in his throat. She jolted slightly as he palmed her rear, squeezing as he nuzzled her neck.

"It's so much easier to say." He whispered, voice low as he rubbed his face against her neck.

"You're insufferable." She reached around and slapped his hand but it just gripped on tighter, the girl letting out a mixed noise at the feel of his hand clinging to her rear.

"I'm in heat... And you're _really_ pretty right now-ttebayo." He laid a kiss at the base of her jaw as he nuzzled the side of her head.

"Not while those two are here." She hissed at him as he growled. She stilled slightly at the noise but only shucked him off, putting at least two feet between them as she did so. "Maybe later. _Maybe_." She stressed, shaking her head slightly in exasperation at his behavior.

She gasped and grunted in the same breath as he pinned her against the nearby tree, the blonde nibbling on her neck as he growled lowly.

"It's later."

He did his best to devour her while she did her best to break free. It was cut short when his hands gripped her wrists and slammed them into the bark, the girl whining slightly at the treatment as she lashed out with a knee, the blonde tumbling to the side as she broke free.

"Idiot!" She hissed at him, running a hand over her mouth to wipe away the saliva. He grinned at her savagely, eyes alit with excitement as he stared at her. She dashed to the side as he barreled through the space she'd just occupied, skidding to a stop several feet away. "This isn't a game!"

"Then stop running!"

Once more, they played cat and mouse.


	5. Blooming Heat

Kakashi chuckled from atop a seemingly random rooftop, a man crouched beside him as they watched two teenagers play an adult tag.

"I believe I lost a bet to Guy about those two." The silver-haired man mused as he watched them, book held loosely.

"I gotta say, the kid having something like that from the fox is pretty unexpected." Jiraiya commented, scribbling in his little book. "Makes for great story lines though. The standoffish princess ripped from her ivory tower by the hormone-crazed peasant boy and can't get enough!"

"That does seem quite enlightening." Kakashi remarked as he tucked away his book. "Make sure to give me a copy of the sample, Jiraiya-sama." The white-haired man rumbled and agreement as he stood straight.

"Well, since this is leading into territory even I wouldn't intrude on; we have a funeral to plan." Kakashi sighed as he nodded. The two dashed away in synchronized blurs, the two teens never even knowing they were there. Speaking of the two...

Naruto made long gouges in the dirt as he skid to a stop violently, his fingers tearing rivets in the ground as he chased after the faster girl.

"Later means later!" Satsuki called over her shoulder, leaping onto a roof with grace.

"I promise today's the last one!" He returned, chakra swelling in his limbs as he made after the girl. "It'll just be like yesterday!" Before she could reply, he had leapt with immense speed and brought them both crashing to a rooftop.

She hissed at the bangs and bumps as they rolled to a stop, Naruto once more pinning her to the ground on her own roof. She looked up and saw the near-crazed look in his eyes, a myriad of lust and confliction in his eyes. She came to the slight realization that he couldn't really control himself.

"Do you know." He rumbled over her, hovering over her face ever so lightly as his lips kissed her earlobe. "How much I want you?" He gave a kiss to her jaw. "Every." Her cheek. "Single." Nose. "Day?" Unlike the tender kisses he had given her, the one he laid on her lips was aggressive... carnal.

"That doesn't." She stopped as his lips once more hounded hers, the girls hands on his collarbone. "Mean I have to have sex." Her next words were drowned in his own mouth as his tongue darted into her mouth, the muscle receding when it got bit as he hissed. "With you all the time!"

"Just for today." His tongue darted out to lick a droplet of blood on his lip, the pink tongue hissing. "I promise." He went back to her ear as he ran the soft flesh under his teeth like a supple pork. "Just gimme today. The rest is yours."

His head fell down and he nibbled at her neck, pinching her flesh between his teeth and laying wet kisses on the already bruised hickies from yesterday. She let out a noise mixed in confliction as her hand came up and gripped his hair. He rumbled against her pale flesh in response before he was jerked back, the girl staring into his eyes with half-lidded eyes.

"Indoors without nearby perverts." He grinned foxily, ducking down and engulfing her lips in a deep kiss as his forehead leant against hers.

"Of course."

It was maybe a minute before he had gotten them both in her room after making sure they were alone.

She sighed in contentment as her hands fisted his hair, the blonde kissing her naval affectionately with her shirt bunched up just beneath her breasts. He drew up and under shirt, hands cupping her breasts as she moaned lightly. He pushed himself up as she peeled off her own shirt, the blonde losing the shirt he'd been wearing.

He dove onto one breast with his mouth, instantly hounding it as she moaned into the stiff air of the room, one hand raking beneath his neck to scratch at his skin. She ran her nails straight down, cutting a line down the blonde's back as he hissed, teeth clamping down on her nipple as she gave a long moan.

"You into hurting me?" He murmured, clapping a hand on her side which had Satsuki moaning into his mouth as his other hand pinched her nipple. Both of her hands reached around and scratched deep lines into his shoulders, steam hissing as she did it.

"Got a problem? Dead Last." He growled lowly and thrust up, their crotches cramming against each other as she moaned. She gave a pained gasp as his right hand slapped her side again, her pale flesh growing a dull red as he bit her bottom lip, the girl whining into his mouth as he rumbled his approval.

"Don't call me that." She was panting beneath him and he was huffing over her, nibbling at her soft skin as one hand jiggled and tweaked her breast while the other ran over and under the waist of her pants.

"Make me. Dead Last." Naruto practically snarled at the words.

She gave a laugh as he flipped them, her pinned to the bed beneath him as he worked their bottoms off. Dancing onyx orbs met blazing azure in a stare of passion and blatant desire.

Her pale skin was now painted an angry red as his hand ran over the flesh, his hand letting go of her hair as his face dove into her soft tresses.

"Naruto..." She whispered, lip quivering as she laid there. He gave her a slight nibble on her upper ear before they both groaned as he entered her, the blonde's hand continuing to rub soothing circles over her rear as his other held her waist tight.

"Talk to me." He rumbled in her ear, the both of them panting as her eyes danced in the dark room. Her head turned slightly and he gave a slow thrust as his head came to rest beside hers as she leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Make me scream." He grinned, canines raking over her lobe before pulling away. 

He flipped the both of them and they were quickly rutting like wild, wet slaps sounding through the room as hips met rear. Naruto seemed to gain a second wind as his hands gripped her hips tightly, speeding faster and faster against her.

Suki panted, sweating and dripping all over as his heat flooded her. She gripped the sheets to the point it hurt, the feeling of being filled over and over flooding her as she gave a low groan.

"Ah!" She gave a sharp gasp as he slapped her thigh, biting her lip as he growled at the noise of her gasp. He slapped her thigh again, the girl beneath him giving a long drawn out groan as they rutted. He did it again, watching porcelain flesh turn pink as he grinned, bending over her her and kissing her nape.

"Naruto!" She cried, arching as he slapped her thigh once more. He growled in the back of his throat and flipped her onto her back again, leaning forward as her legs wrapped around him. He rubbed one hand along her stinging side and the other fondled and pinched her nipple as he thrust into her with more measured strokes.

"Took ya long enough." She gripped his neck and brought him down into a scalding kiss as they continued to rut. "Sorry, but I gotta finish." He murmured before standing back up, both hands gripping her hips as she clenched the sheets beside her.

He began to thrust once more with reckless abandon, the girls legs around his waist tightening and pulling him in so much as she tightened to the point he could barely move. He gave a grunt and a spasm, finishing with a huff and a pant, running a forearm over his forehead to catch his sweat.

Satsuki collapsed to the bed with heavy pants as her chest rose up and down constantly. She gave a groan as some pains became less of a numb ache and more of a sting. "Heh," Naruto rubbed circles on her thighs as he nibbled on her teat. The girl moaned in a mixture of exasperation and pleasure as he did so.

"Thanks, Suki-chan."

* * *

She knew soreness the next moment as she instantly groaned the moment she woke up, a tanned hand rubbing her stomach slightly. She pushed back and felt her entire body lock slightly in it's stiffness as his wrapped arms encompassed her in his aura of warmth.

"Sorry about all that, Suki-chan." She heard genuine regret in his tone and became aware of a rubbing sensation. She looked down to see a clone of the blonde rubbing a paste on certain bruises. She sighed in relief as the cool balm affected her slowly.

"Keep doing this and I'll think about accepting your apology." He chuckled into her hair, his legs entangled with her own. A certain aroma made it's presence known as her nose twitched slightly. "Breakfast?"

"Maybe." Naruto said somewhat slyly as he gave her a small smirk.

"You can cook?" He pouted.

"I've lived alone my whole life, what makes you think I can't cook?" The clone made a grunting noise of agreement as he rubbed the balm into a particularly dark bruise on her hip.

"With you only eating ramen I figured you couldn't." Her eyes fluttered closed as she sighed in contentment. "You're not going to start humping me out of the blue again are you?"

"Nah, not for a year." She snorted and that turned into a moan of appreciation as some of the balm was rubbed along her neck, the actual Naruto behind her doing it.

"You think we'll be together in a year?" She prodded at him verbally with the words.

"If we're not then we'd better both be dead." She felt a shiver climb her spine as the two Naruto's growled in possessiveness as she felt herself be clung to. She sagged in his embrace as the balm took affect. "The funerals in a few hours."

She hummed in lieu of an answer. She had not truly cared for anyone who had been lost but knew Naruto was saddened by the loss of the Sandaime. Naruto let his arms open, the clone going up in smoke.

"Food's probably about ready, you ready to get up?" She gave him a glare at his insinuation as he rose his arms in defense. He slid out of the bed and she felt the coldness take place in the late winter weather, the rain outside becoming audible. She sighed into the room's air as she sat up, the aches inside roaring in protest.

She ignored them the best she could and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, the sight of the sheer amount of marks on her skin caught her slightly off-guard. Satsuki felt his eyes on her and trailed her gaze up to him looking down at her in blatant satisfaction. She rolled her eyes as he shimmied into his pants, throwing on his shirt.

She rose only to grunt and nearly fall flat on her face. He caught her mid-fall and helped her stand as she clung to him desperately, her legs nearly engulfed in pain.

"You okay?" He asked as she shot him a livid glare, panting slightly as she began to come to her bearings.

"Do you really need an answer!" She shot at him as he gave her a sheepish smile. She refused to admit that it felt nice to be held like this despite this circumstances, his aura washing over her in the biting cold of the wood room; she had never turned on the heater.

"Sorry?" She gave a shuddering sigh at his words as she slowly began to stand on her own two feet, one hand gripping the blonde's arm in a vice.

"You don't sound very apologetic." Satsuki bit as the near blinding pain between her legs began to become bearable. She would not be training today.

"I guess not." He muttered as he ran a finger up and down his jaw.

"Why not?" She gently lifted one leg, hissing in pain as she tried to stretch.

"I dunno. Having you like this, relying on me and not leaving. Feels nice I guess." He mumbled as he ran a hand over the back of his neck.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't basically just say you like me being a stay-at-home broodmare." She said flatly as he flushed.

"That's not-"

"Ease up idiot. Maybe some breakfast can give you redemption." She looked to the side and began to hobble to her closet, still gripping his forearm as she semi-hopped.

"Um... Do you need me to help?" She gave him a scowl and in defiance, let go of his arm in exchange for holding onto the wall. He sighed behind her and crossed his arms. "You're being difficult for like no reason."

She knew.

"No I'm not." She plucked a turtleneck sweater and sweats before easing into the top slowly. "It's not my fault I am not keen on relying on the person who put me in this state." He rolled his eyes, throwing up his arms in exasperation.

"You say it like it wasn't the two of us. Besides, I said sorry!" He watched her try to put on her pants before biting her lip in pain. "Geez, and you call me an idiot." He came over and in a surprising show of compassion, held her hand and crouched down; pushing the sweatpants leg up her own. "No undies?"

"Undies? What are you five?" He gave her a pout as she quirked her lip to the side, the sight of him helping her conflicting with her hair-trigger reaction to be angry at him. "My vagina feels like it got hit with a hammer and then someone stabbed a sword through my cervix, I'm not putting on underwear."

He stood with an insufferably smug smile as he shimmied her sweats up and onto her legs fully.

"Ass." She gave him a slap to the chest as he laughed, looping an arm through her own as they eased their way down the hall. "Your happiness is showing, you smug ass." She would protest more if it weren't for the warmth he was giving her.

"Eh, I'm not sorry about that. I just had a day of sex with you and now, you have to practically hug me to stay up." She began to worm her arm out of his hold only for him to interlock his fingers with hers. "Nah, too late to escape. You're mine, remember?"

She huffed a breath out of her nose in exasperation as she walked down the stairs with him. Her lips quirked into a smile at the sight of a Naruto clone with a pink apron her mother had used to wear and flour splotches alongside some egg smeared on his cheek.

"Yo Boss!" The clone greeted with Naruto-cheer as he gave them a beaming smile. "Mornin' Suki-chan!"

"Hn." They both gave a dramatic groan that led to her smiling.

"Well, it's all done!" The clone said as Naruto gave a smile. The clone puffed into smoke, the apron falling in a pool of cloth.

"Here ya go." He slowly crouched, easing her onto a tatami mat and she sat formally as a way of keeping her legs closed. He disappeared into the kitchen as her eyes wandered to the back door in the side of the dining room.

The door was slid open to reveal the rain outside, bringing in a small chill as the patter of rain brought soothing comfort. She let out a heavy breath as she closed her eyes, enjoying the welcome chill.

Her eyes snapped open in a mixture of surprise and pain, the seal on her neck giving a pleasurable trill of power down and through her. The images of Itachi beating her so soundly flashed across her mind, the thought of Naruto matching and almost beating her, the thought of Orochimaru winning so easily...

"So, I gotta go get some clothes to wear for the funeral." He plopped down beside her and like a guard, he shushed away all the images as he seemed to draw her in. His smile and cheerful exterior making her ease as the thoughts of failure fell into the back of her mind, still there...

"When my apartment got crushed all my stuff got ruined. Luckily, I got some money from that Wave mission so I can go get some robes in a bit." He began scarfing down some sauced rice and she watched him as though in a trance as the images of her defeat once more flared as the lulling promise on her curse mark whispered.

"Eh? I got something on my face?" He wiped at his mouth.

"No. Sorry." She began eating.

It felt as warm as him.

* * *

Naruto hummed as he wandered into the outfitting shop, shaking his head free of the rain water as Samehada's weight showed itself. He had not bothered with putting on his weights and it felt about the same as carrying Samehada.

He'd originally toyed with the idea of carrying her in a scroll like he had the head cleaver but, she is sentient so he wasn't sure if that would even work.

Also, Samehada would more than likely hate being trapped in a scroll.

"Can I... Help, you?" The store attendant asked slowly, the sight of the massive bundle that barely didn't scrape on the ground on the boy's back as well as the boy himself had her wary at best.

"Yeah, I need some new funeral robes." She frowned at the request she'd been asked maybe thirty times in the past two days.

"Do you know your size fittings?" He chuckled slowly as he rubbed the back of his head. "A ninja can remember three thousand hand sizes but not their own clothing sizes?"

"It's only twelve..."

"Whatever. Take off your weapon and pouch and anything that's not clothing." He nodded and hefted the sword with ease over his head, placing it in a chair alongside his tools and pouches. "Headband too." He frowned but did so and stepped up.

The entire process was fairly easy and should not have taken long.

Should.

Shouting and crowding garnered Naruto's attention as Samehada vibrated.

"Sorry! I'll be back!" He threw on his headband and tools and was out the door in moments, skidding to a stop in the street before the group of people before him.

In front of the blonde was a contingent of five people. All wore red and brown, one was clearly the oldest person Naruto had ever met.

"Yellow Flash..." The elder said slowly, eyes hard and his voice like grinding rocks. A spectacle had formed and gradually, more ninja began to fall around Naruto; staring down the group in front of them.

"Hey geezer, who're you?" The blonde asked, glaring at the man floating at eye level with the blonde. Behind him were two men, one of red hair and one donning red armor. Behind them was a tall girl with short hair and a rotund man of Akimichi levels.

"Move boy, I have come to pay Sarutobi my respects; nothing else." The floating man said, one arm wiping to the side as though to make the blonde move.

"Hm? Iwa's quite the hike from here." A familiar lazy voice intoned as Kakashi came to a stop beside his student, staring at the group.

"We came as soon as we heard." The bun-haired man said, brow furrowed as he stared at the silver-haired man. "Copycat, move aside."

"Quite the grueling pace." The Jōnin said, book absent as he stared at the group before him. "But, the two behind you could match it rather easily. Right, Tsuchikage-dono?"

"Han wonders why we talk to the son of Namikaze and do not crush him." The armored man rumbled, pupiless red eyes staring down at the blonde with impunity.

"I gotta agree." The red-haired man admitted, donning an odd headpiece connected to his headband.

"Because we did not come here for war, but we can if these boys insist on it!" The aged man barked as Kakashi tensed.

"You would come into Konoha with those two and threaten war?" A silver tongue asked, a man appearing from the side. He leaned on a cane and his one visible eye was narrowed to a slit.

"Danzō..." The aged man said distrustfully.

"Ōnoki." The man replied. "Leave your detail here, I will take you to Hiruzen by yourself."

"Tch, as if we can-" The girl started up only to stop at a raised hand from the newly identified man.

"Quiet. If I have not returned in thirty minutes, raze this village to embers." The man said, floating beside Danzō as the two made off down the road, the people parting around them like sand beneath a shovel.

The tension in the street was thick as the quartet looked around themselves.

"Hey, hey, Kokuō, Son Gokū." Two heads snapped to the small boy grinning up at them foxily. The entire street was suddenly drenched in killing intent, some passing out from the strain and the shinobi all tensing as some even drew weapons.

"Now, now, Han. Maybe we should hear our brother out." The red-haired man said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder cauldron. The hat-donning man eased up on the power that had flooded the street like water.

"Han wants to pummel him, his face irks Han." Naruto snickered, not affected whatsoever by the feeling of their killing intent.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." The man's eye flitted to his student briefly. "Me and my brothers are gonna go have a chat."

"No, you're not. Not with them." The blonde waved off the man's worries in a familiar gesture.

"Nah, they barely even add up to me. I'll be fine. We're just gonna talk." With that, the armored man had put a hand on Naruto's head and they had disappeared in a burst of steam.

"Demon freaks." The girl said with a scoff, arms crossed as the man beside her hummed.

The three appeared in the middle of an empty training ground, the armored Jinchūriki pulling back his hand as though it were burned as Samehada wriggled.

"Sorry 'bout that, Samehada doesn't really have a filter." The armored man rumbled beneath his armor at the words.

"Han believes you to be full of it. Han implores Rōshi for permission to crush this nuisance."

"Maybe in a bit." The bun-haired man replied.

"Sheesh, so mean. We're siblings ya know?"

"If Han were related to such an eye sore, Han would change his name." Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head as he smiled brightly. His eyes peered open slightly and dark azure peered past.

"Don't be so mean **-ttebayo**."

The two paused slightly at the significant drop of pitch in the boy's voice as he relaxed his posture.

"A deceiver?" Rōshi asked in curiosity.

"Nah, just an idiot with dark goals." Naruto replied as his hands settled themselves on his hips.

"An idiot, Han agrees with." The tall man rumbled, armor grinding slightly as he shifted in his position. "Another day, Han would snap your neck before you could blink."

"And then I'd just snap it back." The man was clearly a mixture of frustrated and intrigued.

"And again, why are we here?" Rōshi once more intervened.

"I've only ever met the Ichibi and felt like this would be cool." The aged man hummed at the words.

"I would believe you were it not for Son feeling something oddly familiar about you."

"Han concurs, Kokuō is oddly quiet."

"C'mon, can't a guy just talk to his fellow container?" Naruto asked with a roguish grin that neither bought.

"Fine, if you are going to play games then you clearly are not worthy of our time." The two walked past the blonde.

"He said you guys were just brutes..." Naruto muttered, shaking his head as long blonde tresses flopped in the rain. "I have a plan!"

"Any infant can have a plan." Han replied easily, barely slowing in his walk.

"Aren't you guys tired?" The two stuttered to a stop slowly as they turned to the young man, the pitter patter of rain sounding around them. "I mean c'mon, you were forced to come here just 'cuz your leader wanted to say bye to someone."

"How do you know we did not come here of our own want?" Rōshi asked, a raised brow at the blonde as he swept a hand around them. "We respected the Professor as well."

"But you weren't given a choice were ya?" Naruto asked with an imploring look. The two shared a glance at his words.

"We are tools of our village, of course we will follow our Kage into an enemy village." Naruto hummed disbelievingly at them as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, a sign of ease.

"Is that what you wanna do though?" The two frowned at his words as Han grunted.

"Han believes this meeting to not be mere coincidence." The tall giant lumbered, Naruto's grin becoming foxy as the man huffed, steam emerging from beneath his armor.

"Fine, say your piece boy."

* * *

Naruto sighed into the rain, blonde hair hanging at the edges of his vision with the lack of headband. He stared at the portrait of Sarutobi Hiruzen and couldn't help but feel a tug at his heartstrings, the thought of the man who'd practically raised him pulling a pang through him.

His eyes dragged to the side to look at the small Konohamaru sobbing into the vest of Asuma, the tall man oddly forlorn. The hundreds of people around him felt like a sea of water colder than any rain. He'd known he could sense bad emotions but had never thought it could do this...

His fist clenched as wave after wave of remorse and anguish washed over him like he was a lone rock facing an oncoming storm. His eyes fell to his side to see Satsuki staring blankly ahead, clearly with her mind elsewhere and he could tell she was feeling nothing negative.

He closed his eyes, tilting his head up to let the rain wash over him just as the negative emotions did. He dully thought about it not having even been a month since the last time he was here, Sakura's funeral coming to the forefront of his mind.

The vivid words her mother had used... The blame, the pain...

All of this for what?

What did Orochimaru gain?

His hand trailed up and ran through his wet hair, the bouncy hair contorting to his will as it flopped back dully.

The blonde turned and began to leave, making an early absence as the storm of emotions began to drown him. He stalked down and out of the funeral, exiting the large cemetery and entering the streets of Konoha once more, the realization Satsuki was also leaving became idly realized to him.

"Off to train?" He asked, not putting forth the energy to keep his voice chipper as she nodded slowly.

"I need to work on my seal speed." He hummed in response. "And you? You're not heading for any training grounds."

"I'm going to the library." She blinked at his words, the blonde's gaze fixed down the road as though looking at something only he could see.

"Have you ever even been to the library?" She asked in slight puzzlement as he chuckled, scratching his fingers through his hair as the two stood at a crossroads.

"Yeah, I like to go there and read up on history." She gave him a suspicious look in response.

"Okay..." She gave a deep sigh, staring at the back of his head as though she was thinking about something deeply.

"Hey, Suki-chan?" He asked softly, the rain like a white noise against his ears.

"Hn." Her hair looked like liquid midnight in the rain he turned and gave her a small smile.

"You're thinkin' about going to Orochimaru aren't ya." Her eyes twitched slightly and that was all the answer he needed as he nodded slowly.

"What makes you say that?" She asked warily, tensing as he shrugged.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna stop you." Her eyes widened at his words. "I saw him, I saw your anger at him. And I get it, you don't feel like you'll get the training you need here."

"How..." She muttered as he cupped a hand, rain water filling it as he watched it in fascination.

"I guess you could say I woke up? Kinda?" He asked with a dry chuckle, scratching his jaw slowly. "Yeah, I can't really describe it. I just... There's just so much stuff that's clear now." He muttered as he stared at the ground like a wet fish looks at water.

"Naruto..." She said slowly, stepping forward and into his sight. He gave her a smile that seemed amazingly true, not like his big extravagant smiles nor his massive blinding ones.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. Funerals make me mopey." He gave a mirthless chuckle as he leaned his forehead against hers, the girl twitching slightly at the action but not pulling away as his warmth washed over her like a beacon in darkness.

"Let's talk tonight...yeah?" He asked softly as she gave a hum in return. "Cool. Have fun training."

His warmth disappeared and she watched him walk down the street, form slouched and oddly remorse. She frowned before turning, ignoring the ache between her legs the best she could as she made for her compound.

* * *

She sighed, the steaming cup of tea in her lap giving her comfort as she watched the rain that had been falling all day. The sole Uchiha looked almost out of place in the empty clan compound. Satsuki did not even twitch as Naruto sat down next to her with a groaning sigh, plopping down with a thud; graceless as ever...

"Did you get any cool training done?" He asked, the two sat on the back deck of the house as they watched the rain from beneath the sanctuary of the roof.

"Anything I did was more interesting than your history reading." He laughed, a dry chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"I dunno, it can get pretty interesting." Her lip twitched as she took a sip of bitter tea.

"You had to be strapped to a chair in the academy to even sit through history... and now you do it for pleasure?" He gave a wry grin as he flopped down onto his back, his head right beside her thigh as he looked up at her.

"You gotta know your history." She caught sight of a glimmer in his eye that she had not seen in over a month, narrowing her eyes at the sight of it.

"Researching the Hokage?" His grin became more curved. "Your dream of becoming the best Hokage treats you well..."

"Can I tell you a secret?" He asked softly, fingers idly playing with the fabric of her shirt as she hummed a response, sipping her tea. "I don't wanna be Hokage anymore."

Her eyes snapped to him in surprise as he nodded slowly.

"So what, you're just going to devote your entire life to holding a few swords?" His eyes drifted indoors, more than likely to the sleeping fish sword on the bundle of pillows Naruto had laid for it.

"Kinda like devoting my life to killing one man?" He responded as her gaze narrowing to slits. "I'm not saying that's bad and that you shouldn't do it, just saying your kinda bein' a hypocrite."

"Big word." She muttered as she ran her fingers over the warm porcelain. He snorted in response as his head fell against the wooden deck.

"And no, that's not my life goal."

"And what is it if it's not being Hokage?"

"What's yours?" He returned instantly as she gave him an unimpressed look.

"Kill him, bring back the clan." He smirked, giving a kiss to her knee as he did so.

"I can help you with that." She rolled her eyes and gave him a slap to the stomach as she did so.

"Your turn." He rolled his tongue around in his mouth and clearly looked as though he was thinking about his answer.

"I dunno if I can say." Her mouth thinned as he rubbed her forearm. "I know, I know. You shared and I wanna share this with you, I wanna share it with you so bad. But it's huge, huger than us."

"And yet, it's your ambition." He frowned slightly as he thought. She rolled her eyes, beginning to rise. "Whatever-"

"Peace." He said, putting a hand on her knee to keep her from rising. She quirked a brow at him. "Ultimate peace."

"Isn't that what every shinobi wants?" She asked with an eye roll.

"But nobody actually wants it." He said with a frown. "Every time someone makes a new Jinchūriki they are threatening war. They always force these massive creatures of pure chakra and destruction to be their shinobi."

"You actually think it can happen..." She muttered in disbelief as he nodded.

"Think about it, pure peace. No clans being murdered, no crazy scientists, no invasions, no wars..." He trailed off, blue eyes looking as though they were hand-carved.

"A utopia..." She finished as he nodded firmly. "And who makes the rules if everyone is at peace and equal? How do they stop wars and invasions?"

"One country makes the rules, one nation controls everything." He replied.

"The Uchiha tried that, it didn't work." She said flatly as he nodded.

"They were stopped by the Shodaime."

"And you think that the other nations will just bend over?"

"They'll have to." She blinked at the utter confidence in his voice.

"And what if they don't? What if this big dream of peace you have just leads to the biggest war ever and causes countless deaths." He frowned at the words.

"I can't tell you everything yet." He muttered, head falling back against the deck.

"Of course." She muttered as she scoffed.

"So, you're really going to him." Naruto said as his fingers grazed over her skin, snaking beneath her sweater and running lightly over her side.

"I have to." Naruto frowned slightly.

"And what if he just takes your eyes as soon as you go to him?" Naruto asked as she shook her head.

"Then he would have done it in the forest." She responded. "No one in this village is even near _his_ level. If I go to Orochimaru, he can give me what I need to kill him!"

"And what if you're wrong?" He asked softly, eyes dim as he stared at her.

"I'm not." She said instantly. He sat up, mere inches away as he stared at her tenderly.

"I'll give you three years." He whispered. "If you haven't come back to me by then, I'll come and drag you out." She quirked a brow at him.

"What makes you think you could?" He smiled.

"Because you're mine." He leaned forward and captured her lips softly, dragging back from the kiss slowly as he leaned his forehead against hers. "And I'm not letting anything get in our way."

"Hm." She hummed, also leaning forward and giving him a small kiss. "Three years." She promised, hand snaking forward and ensnaring his own. "Three years and they'll both be dead."

"Three years and we can work on bringing back our clans." She gave a laugh as he dipped down and ensnared her lips with his own.

* * *

"I didn't think you meant tonight." He mumbled, sleepily wrapping an arm around her midsection and drawing her back into his chest. She let herself fall back against him as she sighed.

"Tonight is ideal. Everyone went and got drunk after the funeral and the toad is out of the village." He mumbled into her nape at the words, curling around her like a clingy puppy.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." He grumbled, the girl twisting in his arms as she stared into his eyes. His sleepiness told him it was maybe a bit past midnight and he sighed into her shirt. She let out a deep exhale in contentment as her fingers twisted in his hair, the blonde slowly lowering.

"If it's any consolation, you're making this very hard." She muttered, eyes fluttering shut as he kissed her naval. "But, I do have to go."

"Yeah, I know." He grumbled, rising slightly as he made eye contact with her. "I'll walk you out." He muttered, rising from the bed with no shirt and only a pair of shorts. She hummed and turned, slowly packing three scrolls with necessities before rising.

She didn't even make any sort of protest as he instantly grabbed her hand as they walked down the hall.

"Ugh, I'm probably gonna go through two more heats without you. Maybe three." He bemoaned as she chuckled lightly.

"Maybe I'll be able to send you some pictures." His eyes danced as he turned to her with a megawatt smile. She bopped him on the nose lightly in return. "Down boy." He grinned and snorted before both fell into laughs.

"I think I'll ask the perv to take me out of the village after all..." Naruto muttered as they reached the stairs. "Go around, see the world..."

"Look for some swords..." She added with a smirk as he snickered.

"Yeah, you got me. And kinda see the world. I can't exactly push for peace without seeing what the peace'll do ya know?" She hummed in response.

"Don't slack up, I still need someone who can give me a bit of a challenge." He rolled his eyes, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"Trust me Suki-chan, you have no idea how strong I'm gonna get in two years." She turned a raised brow to him as he smirked.

"You're plotting something." She said with narrowed eyes as he nodded.

"A bit." She hummed.

"You'll need more than some half-brained plan to beat me." She warned as he gave an almost apologetic smile.

"It'll be more of a question of if you can even kinda match up to me." She huffed as they entered the main room of the house. "So, I guess this is goodbye for a bit." She rolled her eyes in response.

"Stop being so melodramatic, you and I are just getting stronger." He nodded absentmindedly before suddenly spinning her, wrapping her in a massive bear hug that had her staggering slightly.

"I know you're strong but please, please be safe." Naruto whispered, arms wrapped around her waist tightly. "I dunno what I'd do if I lost you." She returned the hug with a lax smile.

"Don't worry, Orochimaru underestimates the Uchiha far too much." She whispered.

"Orochimaru?" A wizened voice asked, the two spinning out of their embrace to see the front door slide open to reveal the man from earlier that day alongside a penta of ANBU. "What is the name of a traitor doing in the mouths of loyal Genin of Konoha?"

"Danzō." Naruto rumbled as he tensed slightly.

"Hm, a pack and travelling gear. Going somewhere Uchiha-san?" The aged man asked, his one barely open eye staring at her with impunity.

"You're trespassing!" She hissed at him as the man hummed, his tongue slapping against the top of his mouth as his cane struck the floor once. Three of the ANBU dashed forward and had pinned the two before they could react.

"It is quite the shame that the young Uchiha disappeared tonight, a greater shame that the Kyūbi Jinchūriki decided to turn rogue. Oh well, a new Jinchūriki can always be made." Satsuki thrashed wildly but could not break free from the grip on her.

"Suki-chan." Naruto said slowly, staring at the lone dark eye of the man in front of him; not able to get any emotion from him. The girl stopped her thrashing at his words as he gave her a firm smile. "Run your pretty ass as far as you can."

The blonde exploded in malevolent chakra, two tails of pure chakra bursting through the back of the man behind him. An arm of pure chakra shot from the blonde's shoulder and slashed the man holding Suki across the mask, his blood-curdling screams filling the room.

Suki needed no further words as she gulped, leaping and dashing as fast as she could to the side and out of a window.

"After her!" The crippled man ordered as he leapt back alongside another ANBU. The remaining ANBU tried to give chase but was ran down by the rampant fox-boy before he could get ten feet.

"I guess we're both becoming missing-nin tonight." The blonde whispered in regret, Samehada scurrying from the house and flying into Naruto's hand.

**"Good, this green cesspool was getting old. A change of scenery would be preferable."**

Jōnin began flying to fill the rooftops, many ninja out of uniform and over two dozen appearing with more on the way.

"The Kyūbi has been released on the village!" Danzō roared, attracting attention to himself as he pointed his cane at the glowing boy. "Stop it before it takes innocent lives!"

 **"Innocent?"** It's deep voice rumbled, the boy slacking as black sclera looked around at their surroundings. **"I see no innocents, I see lying scum."** Many stiffened at the voice and many looked nervous.

 **"It matters not, so long as I can rid the world of at least one human I will be satisfied.** " It blasted forward with a step that cracked the stones it had stood on, grabbing Danzō by the neck as it did so. **"You will do."**

An unnerving crack sounded through the street as Danzo's body disappeared.

 **"Bah, if you wish to run you can."** The Kyūbi snapped Samehada up, splitting a massive dragon of pure flame that soared for it from the side. **"Some of you may take his place."** It gave an unnatural grin that made it's elongated canines shine in the moonlight.

"Kyūbi! Let Naruto go!" Kakashi roared as he appeared not far away, Guy a step away.

 **"This is an act of self-defense, I will not give him over so easily."** The fox-boy rumbled, it's grin falling as it leveled the sentient blade at the silver-haired man. **"Unless you wish for the boy to die as well?"**

It's hand snapped out and clutched a man by the neck as he came to kick the Kyūbi in the chest. The man gave a soundless scream as he was burned by corrosive chakra and claws began to make him bleed rivets down his skin.

The Bijū-possessed boy was rocketed back by a bright green missile, the blonde slamming into the wall behind him.

 **"None of you possess the Will of Fire Hashirama spoke of. I would know, I was there when it was envisioned."** The most terrifying creature in existence peeled itself from the large wall, staring at them all with obvious boredom as Samehada burst from her bindings. **"A failed Genjutsu?"**

The glowing boy turned to see a woman dressed in bandages palm a kunai from atop a roof.

**"As though you could so easily deceive me."**

"Where is Satsuki." The question was not a question as Kakashi once more spoke for the mass of shinobi that had eased into a hundred.

 **"The young Uchiha was attacked, we defended her."** Kakashi gripped a kunai.

"Where. Is. She?"

 **"Why would I tell you? It was leaf-nin that tried to kill her."** Kakashi clearly stilled at the words. The cloak of chakra faded as the eyes turned back to blue. "We were attacked Kakashi-sensei, I'm-" He was cut off by a gurgle as a kunai punched into his throat from the side.

"No!" Kakashi roared, at the boy's side in a moment as he choked on the kunai in his throat.

Chakra almost twice as malevolent burst from the boy, bringing with it fierce winds that forced Kakashi to leap away as a clawed hand jerked the kunai out of his throat. It was a morbid thing to watch as the flesh mended itself, muscle and skin forming out of nothing.

**"Clearly, the boy is safer with me."**

The boy gave a vulpine smile as three slender tails rose for the first time, swishing behind the boy as some fell to a knee at the potent and deadly chakra. In a blink, the creature had viciously ripped off the head of the man who'd thrown the kunai.

Samehada swallowed an entire water bullet, the water dissolving to nothing against the shark sword. It tilted it's head up, chakra ears twitching as his nose sniffed loudly.

 **"The Uchiha is now gone, you cannot catch her."** The boy declared as it crouched slightly. **"Remember, you forced us to leave in this manner."**

With a boom, the beast leapt high and away, many staying still as they watched it leap.

"Guy, don't." Kakashi muttered with a heavy frown. "We can't spare the manpower right now." The silver-haired man said with a frown. "Besides, Jiraiya-sama isn't here to seal it further; we cannot fight the Kyūbi."

"But Naruto-kun!" Guy barked, an extended arm pointing after where the boy had ran.

"Was attacked in his own village." They both stared at the now decapitated head of the man who donned a root mask. "We need to do some weeding, Guy."

"I agree, Kakashi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An interesting turn of events, no?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This begins a year after the last chapter, a time skip in simple fashion.

Naruto whistled lightly as he flipped a coin only to fail as it spun out of control, his hand snapping out to grab it. He groaned quietly as he tucked away the golden trinket, looking up the mountain side to see a small hut well above the clouds.

He took a deep breath and a huff, continuing his climb as Samehada trilled from his back.

"I know, the octopus greatly thrills you." She trilled a bit more morose this time. "That was not sassy!" Silence met him. "Okay, my sassiness at being sassy is justifiable because I was only sassy because you said I'm sassy; I'm not actually sassy."

The sword made a disbelieving trill as Naruto snorted, shaking his head to himself as he climbed up the sheer mountainside. The blonde was dressed in a brown traveling cloak as well as a black shirt with a red Uzumaki symbol on the back, his old pants donned to give him some of his favorite color.

"Yo, Nine Bro!" A thunderous voice said, audible electricity in his tone as Naruto leapt over the edge of the cliff.

"I guess we really can't hide from each other." Naruto muttered, pushing off the tan hood to reveal a shaggy mane of blonde hair without the hindrance of a headband.

"Last I hear, you gave Konoha a big fear. What I feel, you here with a deal!" The tall man plopped down heavily on the dirt landing of the mountain, the highest clearing in the whole country.

"I dig your rhyme, mind if I mime?" Naruto asked with a foxy grin, one the dark-skinned man returned with three times the size.

"You can try and mime, little bro nine. But just know, you can't keep up with this flow!" The man said with a rock sign as Naruto gave a chuckle.

"People say your the baddest of the bad, that done went and made me real mad. Isn't eight supposed to be wack, while nine the highest on the rack."

"That rhyme was kinda shaky little bro, but don't worry I'll pick it right of the flo'! Big ole number nine supposed to be the best, but how you gonna say you're strong when you don't even have a vest?" Naruto chuckled, scratching a hand through his thick hair.

"Well you see, you mind if I call you Bee?" The dark man nodded. "I was being super cool, then suddenly I was the fool. First things first, they tried to make me burst. I was a loyal shinobi but then I became a... damn." The blonde trailed off with a loud laugh, wiping a tear from his eye.

"These new ones can't keep up with the mastah! Of course, I'm gonna rhyme better and fastah!" Bee said with wide arm swings. "You pretty fly, I won't even lie. Tryna keep up with my hardcore rap, I'll listen to ya and won't even take a nap!"

"Appreciate that. So, Bee, I hear you got complete harmony with Gyūki." Bee tilted his head in slight surprise.

"Gyūki feels kinda at peace, I wanna hear you say your piece."

"I wanna give you an invitation, Yugito too." Bee tilted his head as he scratched at his jaw.

"You seem pretty smart, my big bro will hit you like a cart. I promise you don't wanna mess with him, he'd toss you hella easy in the bin." Naruto ducked his head lightly as he chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't exactly want to get into a fight with your brother. Nor do I want to get in any kind of fight with any other Jinchūriki. I'm just here to offer an invitation."

"An invitation for me and little Miss Two? Not sure if I trust you." Naruto hummed, cupping his chin as he heard the words.

"Well, how can I get enough trust to have you accept my invite?" Bee tapped his knees rhythmically as he pondered.

"I guess since you already showed you could spit a bar, maybe me and you could do a little spar?" Naruto frowned slightly.

"You sure? I'm not sure I want to alert your brother that I am here."

"You the son of Namikaze right?" Naruto frowned heavily. "Then I'm sure there wouldn't even be a fight."

"What makes you say so?" Bee rose with a sigh and a grunt as Naruto did the same.

"Big bro may be a bit dim, but even he knew to respect him. Besides, I wouldn't let bro pummel ya too hard, especially when you can match this stylin' bard!" He started scribbling in his little notepad as Naruto laughed loudly.

"Well, so long as you take it easy on me. I'm not exactly the strongest guy around." Naruto palmed the handle of Samehada as Bee tucked away his notepad.

"Oh by the way, I never got yo name!" The large man cracked his knuckles.

"Uzumaki Naruto-ttebayo! Nice to meetcha Bee!"

"An Uzumaki-ttebayo? Them was some bad foes!" The man asked, grinning as he tensed. "But you can't match me, 'Cuz I'm the baddest BEE!"

The man was then above the blonde with a vicious ax-kick that Naruto managed to block just in time, cracking the ground beneath him. Samehada began to swell only for Bee to launch away, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"That sword wants a bite o' me? Clearly it ain't ready fo' the Bee!"

A figure crashed into the land between the two, landing with near explosive impact as several figures followed.

"Aw c'mon bro! He ain't even a foe!" The tall man pouted as the massive Raikage gave his brother a glare and a point.

"And you're not the one who determines that!" The man turned around, the group of shinobi that he had came with spreading out across the clearing. "Namikaze boy."

"It's Uzumaki-ttebayo! Get it right!" The blonde called, leveling the sword at the tall robed man with a glare that the man returned with equal vigor.

"And what's a missing-nin doing here talking to my brother?" Naruto's personality seemed to do a one-eighty as he grinned.

"Just sending invitations, sheesh. Can't a guy invite people to his birthday party?" The Yondaime scowled heavily.

"An invitation for what?" The man thundered, his small mustache twitching in a mixture of fury and indignation.

"I bet you're gonna have some bad stress lines in a few years." The man's eye twitched as his forehead creased. "Yeah, just like that!"

The man had crossed the clearing in but a moment, punching the blonde only for it to puff out of existence.

"So rude." The man spun to see over a half dozen of the blondes sprawled around Bee's hut while one handed Bee a note. "Well, you've got my card. I hope you make it."

"Don't ignore me!" A roared. Kunai went through each of the blonde, courtesy of C who had been watching the proceedings with more and more wariness. "Bee!"

"Bro, I didn't even do a no-no!"

* * *

"Hell yeah!"

An exuberant cheer cried, followed by a few groans but many cheers as the entirety of the pot at the table was pushed to the blonde's side. Naruto snickered as he pushed it to the side, the dealer beginning the process of exchanging it into Ryō; over six million.

Naruto watched as seven platinum briefcases were placed in front of him, the odd last number put down rather harshly by a very large man in a suit. The Uzumaki gave him a cheeky grin in response, the briefcases disappearing into a scroll that he stuffed into an interior pocket of a new burnt orange haori the blonde donned.

"That was a lot of money." A rather interesting voice commented from beside Naruto. His eyes dragged to the side to see an absolute bombshell of a woman. Shoulder length blonde hair captivated him, shiny ruby red lip gloss popping against her fair features.

She leaned onto her forearms against the table beside him, accentuating the size of her mammaries that were some of the biggest he'd seen in a black number with a neckline that dipped down far too low. His eyes trailed down slowly, pale skin on show as the only other thing she wore was a pair of black pumps.

"Yep, won it fair and square!" He said with a bright grin, eyes making their way back over her body to meet blue eyes that were a dull ice as opposed to his deep lake navy.

"All's fair in love and war." She muttered as her eyes looked to the side at seemingly nothing before she turned back to him.

"You're kinda cute, ya know that?" She asked huskily, leaning forward further as her breasts threatened to spill out of her shirt. "I could just _devour_ you."

"Luckily, I've got a nice place with room service and good cutlery." He replied with a lusty smirk that she returned.

He put his hand in between her shoulder blades and they were gone in a burst of speed, the woman walking into the room as she twirled about.

"This is a very nice place for eating." She said with a smile, teeth creeping out to slowly bite and let go of her lip. The next thing she knew, two men had come at her from both sides and she was bound in several loops of rope and sat on his bed blinking in surprise.

"Did you guys really just try to trick a fox?" He asked with a foxy smirk, his clones fist-bumping before disappearing in twin puffs of smoke.

"Trick? What are you talking about, get me out of this! I'm not into bondage!" She squirmed innocently, breasts jiggling and a few tears leaving her eyes.

"Pretty convincing but you've got a few tells." She looked up at him through teary eyes in open confusion. "One, the training scars on your fingers kinda gave it away a bit. Two, when you looked to your superior in the casino.

"Three, you didn't even react to the Shunshin." She stared at him for a few more moments in innocent confusion and teary eyes.

"So not cool."

Her voice had lost it's lilt and fell into a blandness as her face became more neutral and almost annoyed.

"I told Raikage-sama this wouldn't work." She muttered, staring at Naruto warily. "But did I at least have a chance?"

"Not really, I've already got a girl I'm really into." She blew a raspberry at his words as she squirmed slightly. "You're super hot though, I bet most guys don't get past the whole dress and boobs."

"You'd be surprised." She grumbled as she once more squirmed.

"If you're wondering, those've got seals on 'em so you can't exactly hop out." She fell back onto the bed with a sigh. The window was slid open and a dark-skinned man with white hair entered it, the door behind Naruto popping off it's hinges at the Raikage's arrival.

"It's a whole party I guess..." Naruto rolled his shoulders as Samehada buzzed with excitement at the smell of Bee.

"Namikaze boy." The Raikage rumbled as he looked down at the blonde who gained a tick mark. "Release my subordinate."

"Ya know, my name's Uzumaki." The man glared.

"Your father was Namikaze Minato wasn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Then you are Namikaze."

"Nah, I'm Uzumaki. Get the clouds outta your ears you prick."

The tension sky-rocketed in the room as the man curled his lip at the boy before him.

"Raikage-sama, he's goading you. He more than likely has this entire room trapped." Darui commented from the side.

"Or I'm just pushing his buttons to make the fastest man pop." Naruto grinned foxily at the man but this time, it had a sharp predatory tint. "Oh wait, you're not the fastest huh. You're just the fastest alive."

"You're disgracing your father with your words." The man rumbled with a sneer. "He was a man of honor and respect, you are just a disgraced brat."

"I ain't tryin' to be my Old Man." Naruto responded with a shrug.

"Just a lost boy looking to grab at the ruined scraps of ancient history." The man said as he loomed over the smaller blond.

"And you're just a tall prick who can't match up to his namesake." Naruto shot back with a glare as he scoffed. "Whatever, I wasn't here for you."

"Other than emptying our casinos and having a rap battle with Bee-sensei, what were you here for?" Samui questioned from the bed.

"A warning."

"Issuing threats in my own village?" The man growled.

"Beware the Akatsuki." Naruto said, eyes locking onto Bee's as some stiffened. "I realize you probably think they're not that big of a deal but they are way more powerful than anyone in this room."

"A group of cowards running in matching outfits do not instill fear with me." A boasted as he puffed up.

"They have the Rinnegan."

Those four words quietened the room as Naruto stared at his fellow Jinchūriki.

"That's a bedtime story. I'll not be scared of smoke and mirror tactics." A denied, striking an arm through the air but the blonde's gaze did not waver.

"You can't outrun it, it controls gravity and death. Bee, I've already lost three of our siblings to the Akatsuki; I can't bare to lose anymore."

"And how do you know this?" Darui questioned from the side. "You're a kid who's balls barely dropped, how would you know any of this?"

"Same way I know anything these days. I keep my eyes and ears open." At the Uzumaki's words, several puffs of smoke happened in the room as over a half dozen random objects became full, grinning clones. "Trust me, the Akatsuki isn't a joke."

"And why, should we trust you?" Samui asked once more. "So far, all you've done is spout all this information for nothing. It could just be a trap to make us focus on the Akatsuki and not Konoha readying for a fight."

"I don't care what any of you think, I care what Bee does and thinks."

"Bee will defend his village as he always has." Naruto frowned at the words.

"Well, I hope ya make it to my party." Naruto gave a beaming smile to the massive man, one that Bee returned.

"Don't even fret, heck we can even bet! I'll be there for sho', just gotta get past big bro!" A twitched almost violently at the words as Naruto snickered loudly, the sound reminiscent of a fox yipping.

"I look forward to it, Bee."

The room was filled with smoke as Naruto disappeared.

* * *

**Six Months Later...**

A certain individual was whistling a jaunty tune as he walked a sandy path, trekking through and past dunes and towards a now obvious gap between solid sandstone walls. He was dressed appropriately for the weather, a wide-brimmed rice hat and a burnt orange shemagh wrapped around his head with only blue eyes poking out.

"Name and business." A bored Jōnin asked the new individual who pulled down the part covering his mouth, faint whisker lines on his cheeks and a dusty tan complexion.

"Yama Goben, I'm just here to see my old man." The man weighed the words before shrugging and letting the stranger past. "Thanks!" The cheery teen entered the village proper and knocked his hat back, letting it hang on his neck. He wore a thick robe top and baggy burnt orange pants.

The teen had barely entered the village and made it to the marketplace before someone had sidled beside him.

"Do you have any recommendations? I feel like there's some awesome food here that I've just never tried." The tanned teen said with a cheek scratch as he perused the many odd foods on display.

"I would think, Uzumaki Naruto, you would favor the more savory foods." The bland voice said from beside him as many gave either nods or small waves to the neutral youth beside the foreigner.

"Ya think? I dunno, I got a hell of a sweet tooth." The newly identified teen said with a chin rub.

"Based on your relations with the Uchiha, I would say the opposite." The blonde let out a booming laugh as he nodded. The blonde was clearly taller than he had been over a year and a half ago, standing several inches taller than he had in the past.

"She's got her moments. Bet you wouldn't believe she's a cuddler." Naruto commented with a smirk as he dipped forward into a particularly interesting stall as the people parted like a sea at the presence of the two.

"Oddly, it is quite an easy sight for me to see. She gives me the impression of a cat." Naruto snorted at the words as he nodded.

"Yeah, that's a pretty good way of describing her. How much for that one?" He asked, pointing at the small melon.

"Oh, you can have that one for free dearie." Naruto gave a beaming smile as the elderly shopkeeper handed him the fruit. His one hand easily held the somewhat large fruit as he took it.

"Thanks!" He called, slipping it into his robe as he finally looked at his companion. "So, Kazekage huh?"

"You would be amazed at the versatility of being able to control sand in a desert." The Kage said, giving the blonde a once over slowly.

"Ah, that's how I got found out." The blonde gave a snap of disappointment. "Took me so long to make this disguise as well."

"I'm sure." The redhead drawled, giving a pointed look at the simple kasa hat the teen donned. Naruto boomed out another belly laugh as his hand came and slapped Gaara's gourd, the redhead stumbling ever so slightly at the bear strength behind the slap.

"How ya been, Gaara? Last I saw ya, you were kinda a bit more coo-coo." The insomniac hummed with a small frown at the words.

"I do apologize for the actions of my former self, I have since realigned my mental state."

"Shukaku ease up on the mind wreck then?" Naruto asked as Gaara gave the blonde a side glance.

"And how, do you know his name as well as his actions?" Gaara turned and caught a small child from falling with his sand softly, allowing her to bounce back up with thank you and scream of glee.

"Well aren't you the good samaritan." Naruto ribbed with a smile as he nudged Gaara's shoulder. "Also, I know all sorts of stuff. Kinda been my thing for the past year or so."

"Since you know so much, then I am sure you are aware that the Godaime Hokage pardoned you?" Naruto made a noise of affirmative in the back of his throat.

"Yeah, the toad came and found me. Gave me a big ole talk and all this and that and then said I had to be back in a year."

"And when was this?" Gaara asked in amusement as Naruto gave a grin.

"Two months ago. I got some time. Besides, Tsunade ran from the village for like twenty years and the toad is never in the village. I don't think they can really wag a finger at me too much."

"They are still your Kage. I now know the pain of idiots who do not respect authority." The redhead gave Naruto a very pointed look at that as Naruto laughed.

"Eh, I'm not that bad anymore."

"Ah yes, the oh so honorable shinobi that refuses to return to his own village. Very respective of authority." Naruto gave him a small look of annoyance as he crossed his arms.

"And when did you get so annoyingly wise? I think I almost liked you better when all you wanted to do was fight." Gaara frowned slightly.

"I much prefer my current mental state thank you. So, have you come to see the sights or is this a social visit?"

"Kinda social." Naruto responded as they walked. He stuffed a hand in a pocket and handed the redhead a small card, eerily reminiscent of a birthday card.

"An invitation?" The redhead asked in amusement as he opened the card, reading the date and taking in the contents. "I quite like the drawing." He pointed to the small drawing that entailed a chibi Gaara and Shukaku with party hats.

"Thanks, took a bit for me to pick up drawing." The redhead hummed as he read the contents.

"Next year, hm? I suppose I could make it, but was this truly necessary?" Gaara asked, lifting up the card as Naruto laughed.

"For you, not really. For everyone else, yeah. You're the Kage so it's not really an issue. I invited our siblings as well, those that remain." Gaara's face drew blank at the words.

"And how many do?" Naruto frowned.

"Sadly, only six of us now."

"I see. I quite prefer dusk to dawn." Their words were careful as they walked down the marketplace street.

"Yeah well, the dawn still has to come ya know. Sometimes faster than we'd like." Gaara hummed. "We've just gotta be ready for the next day." Naruto placed his hat atop his head once more as he stopped in his tracks.

"Now c'mon, show me the sights!"

* * *

**Two years since Naruto left Konoha.**

"Young man?" A wizened voice asked, Naruto slowing in his walk as he turned to the elderly woman at the side of the road. "Come here a moment."

"Sure thing Granny." He came to a stop beside the woman, her hunched form significantly shorter than his own.

"Take a second out of your long life to listen to an old woman." She turned and walked onto her porch, taking a seat at the wooden rocker across from an empty one. He gave her a grin and plopped down in the chair, sighing at the comfort.

He rested in the simple chair on the porch of a house in the middle of Fire Country, nothing but trees and dirt road for miles.

"Hmph, young kids always rushing around and never taking a moment." She thumped her cane to the ground as she said the words as Naruto hummed. His eyes scanned the forest around them as he heard her words.

"Sorry Granny, I've been busy." He muttered as he relaxed.

"And what is so important for you to go zipping about and not smelling the roses, hm?"

"This and that." He replied as he watched the green of the trees, the sun warm against his skin and the smell of grass in his nose.

"This and that' he says." She harrumphed as he sheepishly chuckled, nodding slowly. "This is why us old people should have your useful bodies, we know when to take breaks!" He smiled at her words as his eyes shut in comfort and relaxation.

"Apologies grandmother, could I bother you to make us some tea?" A silky voice asked as Naruto's eyes stayed shut. The aged woman grunted once more, rising from her seat as her cane slapped against the wood.

"Always making us elders take care of these kids. Never learning how to keep care of themselves." She muttered as she disappeared into the solitary house.

"You're a hard person to track down, Uzumaki-kun." The man said as he sat in the now open chair.

"Almost like that's intentional." The blonde replied, running a finger over Samehada's handle as she leant against the wall beside him.

"It is quite the shame about Kisame, he was quite possibly one of the strongest men I'd ever met." Naruto hummed at the words.

"He was quite the monster." Naruto said.

"And yet, his sword chose you." The man replied, running his fingers over the varnished wood that sat between them. "Have you enjoyed your trip around the nations?"

"Been keeping tabs on me?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"Only the one. After all, I need to kill you."

"Your arrogance is nuts," Naruto's eyes peeled open and he stared into amethyst ones across from him. "Mangetsu."

"There's that fire I saw two years ago. I wonder if your proficiency in swords has increased any since then."

"I won't use a sword to defeat you." Mangetsu blinked at the words as he stared at the blonde before him. A sudden snap made Mangetsu's eyes dart to the side and they widened in shock at what he saw.

They had become trapped in a cage of wood.

In a flash, Mangetsu had burst forward with a hammer and ax and burst from the wood with the force of an ox, escaping from the cage able to suppress tailed beasts with ease. The man found himself gasping in shock as he escaped only to be snagged on each limb by a wooden tendril.

"You can't escape, Mangetsu." Naruto said, rising from his chair even as the white-haired man phased into water with physical difficulty. It was so hard for him that he didn't react fast enough and was ensnared in an entire coating of wood from neck to toe.

The wood coating around the house began to rescind and return their surroundings back to normal, the only abnormality being Mangetsu completely entrapped in a bundle of wood shooting straight up from the ground.

"How?" Mangetsu asked, panting heavily and gritting his teeth as he tried to escape.

"I'm an Uzumaki, I don't need a reason." Naruto said with a grin as Mangetsu's squirms ceased and his eyes became half-lidded from the exertion. "Now, where's the rest of the swords." The man gave a lazy, pointed smile.

"Back at Kiri. You'll never... get them." He was nearly slurring his words at the mental fatigue as Naruto frowned.

"Poop."

That was the last word Mangetsu heard before falling into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

**A month later.**

"Jiraiya!"

The rage-induced roar echoed through the building as the toad sage burst into being in front of Tsunade's desk.

"Sheesh, no need to be so loud Princess." He groaned, rubbing his neck as she slammed down a Bingo book.

"Look at that! Explain it and explain it quick." He scooped up the book and looked at the open page. He saw a familiar picture and scanned down, eyebrow rising at the newest thing added.

"S-rank, look at him go."

"Not that!" She roared as he put up his arms innocently.

"How was I supposed to know he could do that? He obviously kept it quiet." The man replied, going back to reading the book.

"You've taught him!" She snapped as he rose a brow.

"For like two months. Wow, Kiri must be mad to put this out." He commented.

"This isn't a joke! How do I have an S-rank shinobi that I haven't even met yet!" Tsunade yelled at him.

"I mean, he'll be back in the next three months so..."

"And if he isn't?" Jiraiya shrugged.

"I don't see why he wouldn't be, Sarutobi-sensei said the kid practically embodied the Will of Fire for most of his life. Also said the kid wanted to be Hokage, seems pretty sure fire he'll come back."

"And the Uchiha? I can't be dealing with S-rank hormone-induced hissy fits every time I say he can't go get her." Jiraiya scratched his jaw as he hummed in consideration.

"Didn't Kakashi have something or other on that?" He muttered to himself as she ticked in anger.

"Kakashi!" She roared, the sound echoing as the silver-haired pervert entered the office through the window.

"Yo, did I do something bad?" He asked, the sight of an angry Hokage and an amused Jiraiya greeting him.

"Congrats, you can join the club of having taught an S-ranked shinobi!" Kakashi blinked as he strode forward.

"I hadn't thought Satsuki would do anything for at least a little longer." He remarked.

"Nah, the blonde brat not the broody brat." Kakashi blinked in surprise as he plucked the book from his hands. He scanned it for several moments before one eyebrow rose in a similar manner to how Jiraiya's had.

"Huh. Ya know, out of everything I expected, this wasn't it."

"I know right?" Jiraiya said as he scribbled in his small notepad. "I woulda thought he'd learn the Hiraishin. That's good too though, makes for so many good ideas." The white-haired sage was then tackled by a paperweight to the forehead.

"Kakashi." She grit out as the Jōnin shot up in attention. "Am I going to have to deal with some S-ranked fifteen-year old who can't keep it in his pants and wants to go chase his teammate?"

"I don't know?" He said as she scowled fiercely. "Well, on that night it seemed kinda like he helped her get away. But at the same time, they were being attacked by Danzō. So it could be either or." She rubbed her forehead with a long groan.

"Let me rephrase this and if I don't get a straight answer then you're going to be a cyclops in both respects." Kakashi clenched. "Did he have any romantic inclination towards his teammate?"

"Oh. Yeah, they are one-hundred percent attracted to each other." The Jōnin then plucked a photo out from under his headband and showed it to the Hokage. She blinked at the sight of a hickey marked Uchiha with bed-frazzled hair sat beside a mini Yondaime Hokage who had a smug grin.

"I see." She muttered, waving the photo. "And you just, keep this in your headband at all times?"

"Of course, it's one of my favorite photos." She sighed and handed back the photo that he carefully tucked back in his headband. Kakashi resumed reading the Bingo book.

"So, I might have an S-ranked Jinchūriki that would search hell and high water for his Uchiha girlfriend that ran away to go hunt and kill her brother with the help of Orochimaru." Silence met her for several moments as Jiraiya rose to his feet.

"He's taller than me?" Kakashi asked with a frown, one hand going to around mid-chest height and it rising back and forth between his hair-level and chest-level.

"No kidding." Jiraiya asked, leaning over his shoulder to read the book as Kakashi showed it to him. "I'll be damned."

Abruptly, both had their heads slammed together by an irate Hokage as they crumpled like bags of rocks. She groaned, leaning against her desk to rub her temples.

* * *

**Three Months Later.**

Kakashi stared down at the lone gravestone quietly, the words of _'Haruno Sakura'_ staring back at him.

"Naruto's finally coming back to the village today." The man said slowly, fingering the spine of his book in his pocket. "He reached S-rank a bit ago. I know you'd be shocked by it, guess he's not quite the idiot you thought he was."

"Nah, only sometimes." Kakashi's eye dragged to the side at the somber words, having to actually look up a bit.

"In what world does my cute little Genin become so much taller than me?" Naruto shrugged, grinning down at his teacher.

"You're just short sensei. You're like what, one-eighty?" The man pouted.

"One-eighty one." Naruto snorted as he rolled his shoulders, turning to the grave.

"I hit one-eighty six a week ago." The Jōnin beside him whistling at the number. "Hey, I'm still shorter than the pervert."

"By what, a few hair spikes?" Kakashi returned, noticing his blonde student had not really cut his hair much as it now reached his shoulder with two cheek-length bangs framing his face. Naruto snickered.

"Five centimeters, last I checked." Kakashi hummed as he turned back to the solitary grave. "Can't believe it's been over two years..."

"Two and a third since last we met, two and a half since the exams." Naruto hummed in response as he crouched down, putting two fingers to the ground in front of the gravestone.

A bundle of cherry blossoms sprouted from nothing, not even growing from a tree as Naruto rose back up.

"So, that's what that looks like." Kakashi remarked, staring at the plants that'd grown from absolutely nothing.

"Yep. It's way easier here though. Must be all the left over stuff Shodaime did..."

"I have a friend I think you'd like to meet." Naruto hummed.

"Tenzō of the Wood Release." Kakashi's head swiveled as Naruto gave a foxy grin that looked much more predator than mirth on his new face. "I know stuff."

"Very secret stuff..." Naruto shrugged as he turned from the grave.

"Security in this place is super lax, I kinda just walked in and no ANBU have even... I take that back." Naruto said as a duo of ANBU landed before them.

"I'm taking him to Godaime-sama right now." The two disappeared in matching blurs at Kakashi's words.

"Ya know, in the books you're a really scary dude." Naruto commented as Kakashi rose a brow as he began to leaf through his book.

"You don't believe me to be scary?" Naruto shrugged.

"You are, I just never saw that part of you, ya know?" The man hummed at the words.

"I guess we'll need to refresh your image of me sometime soon." Naruto grinned at the words.

"Totally."

"You look different without the orange." The man commented after a moments pause. Naruto peeled away the brown cloak to reveal burnt orange clothing. "Ah."

"Yeah, guess I don't really need this thing anymore." Naruto muttered, fingering the front clasp of the long brown coat.

"So, did you enjoy your time away?" Naruto smiled as he watched a trio of kids dart past.

"It was eye-opening, I guess you could say." Kakashi hummed, seeing the look in Naruto's eye.

"You certainly seem different. More calm." Naruto grinned, slapping Kakashi's back and the man staggering a moment.

"I think you mean more cunning."

"I'm not sure I will need to reevaluate your taijutsu skills." Naruto gave a loud laugh as they walked, people parting for the tall blonde and his teacher.

"You can if you want, I haven't really used 'em in a while. Probably gotta shake off the rust." The blonde looked up, the open window of the Hokage's office clear to him.

"Godaime-sama hates it when people enter through the window." Kakashi said with a small smile.

"Meh." Kakashi's eye danced with mirth as the two leapt up and into the open window.

"Kakashi." She muttered, looking up and blinking at the sight of the blonde. "Uzumaki Naruto..." She leant back in her chair and away from her paperwork.

"Yo..." He frowned. "I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting a blonde." Her brows knit together.

"That's the first thing you say to your Hokage..." She said slowly.

"Well, your grandfather had brown hair, your grandmother had red hair. I just kinda figured you'd have one of those." He shrugged as she took a deep breath through her nose.

"I can already tell you're going to give me too many headaches." She muttered under her breath. "Uzumaki Naruto! Give me a report on your journey!" She ordered as he blinked.

"Uh, why?" Her eye twitched. "I mean, all I really did was kinda roam."

"So you just happened to come across Hōzuki Mangetsu and did no training whatsoever." She said dubiously.

"I mean, if you put it like that then it sounds like it didn't happen." He responded. "I mean, I trained. But why do you need to know when and where I trained?"

"So I can get an accurate read on your abilities." She said slowly, as though speaking to a child.

"Hm, I trained a bit everywhere." He replied with an affirmed nod.

"Naruto, don't be a pain for your new Hokage." Kakashi commented, flipping the page.

"Fine, I trained my taijutsu not much, I trained my ninjutsu a bunch, and I learned lots." She thinned her lips.

"Learned... lots."

"Yeah, just stuff." She nodded.

"Things like history?"

"Yeah, that and some other stuff." She waved her hand for him to continue. He groaned. "I have tabs on everyone that's important in the world right now." She blinked and even Kakashi looked up.

"That's a bold statement." He shrugged. "Give me an example."

"Well, I know that right now the Akatsuki is moving to attack Gaara." The two stiffened. "Betcha didn't see that comin' did ya?"

"That is not something to make light of." She barked as he rolled his eyes, a small seed coming from his pocket.

"I recognize that." Kakashi said instantly as Naruto nodded.

"It's a small little tracking seed. If I can get it stuck on someone then it'll give me a pulse of their location and what landmark they're near."

"And how do you have a bead on a member of the Akatsuki?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"I told ya; I learned stuff." She let out a near yell of frustration.

"So, if you're to be believed, the Akatsuki are moving to take the Kazekage right now."

"Yep, they entered the desert a few hours ago." She frowned over steepled fingers. "Just let me and Kakashi-sensei go and we'll be back in like a week."

"I'm not letting some Genin brat go with one of my most valuable Jōnin." She pulled a clipboard from the side and frowned over it. "Kakashi, run through Tanzaku Quarters and pick up Team Guy along the way."

"Yes, ma'am." Kakashi responded, book now absent as he stood straight.

"You and this idiot will go alongside Team Asuma." Naruto rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. "Go, now. This is an S-rank mission, discuss it with no one else and explain it to Team Asuma on the way."

"Let's go, Naruto!" The two leapt through the window and made quick work of the distance between them and the Nara compound. They stepped over the clan wall and came to the sight of all four sitting at the Nara backyard, Asuma and Shikamaru playing Shōji while Chōji ate and Ino read a magazine.

"Asuma." Kakashi spoke, drawing the bearded man's attention as well as his team's. "Code Green."

"All three of you, go pack for a week-long mission." The three blinked at him and his abrupt tone. "Now!" He barked as they all rose.

"Gimme a few minutes." Ino retorted as she began jogging for the door.

"You have one! Meet at the North Gate." Kakashi ordered after her as he turned back to Asuma. "Let's go." The trio began hopping along rooftops.

"Long time no see, Asuma-sensei." Asuma rose a brow at the whiskered individual beside him.

"I thought that was you. Someone hit their damn growth spurt." Naruto gave a snicker and a nod.

"Everyone around here's way shorter than I remember." Asuma scoffed.

"Cheeky damn brat." The man grumbled as he turned back to Kakashi while they landed in front of the North gate. "So, S huh?" Kakashi gave a solitary nod.

"Yeah, I'll explain when we get on the move." Kakashi replied, Shikamaru landing a few feet away and Chōji two seconds after.

"That you, Naruto?" Chōji asked, the whiskered blonde giving a grin. "You must've ate a lot."

"Now you're a tall troublesome blonde." Shikamaru muttered, staring up several inches as Naruto grinned.

"I'm here." Ino announced, landing next to Chōji with a small scroll attached at the hip. "Hey, is that-"

"No time, talk on the way." Kakashi interrupted, turning and leaping into the forestry and was quickly followed by the group alongside him. "Here's the details, Akatsuki's on the move." Two looked confused.

"Akatsuki, they're a bunch of S-rank missing-nin that hunt Jinchūriki." Shikamaru said firmly, his teammates' eyes widening at the words as their gaze flickered to Naruto.

"We have information that they're moving on the Kazekage; Gaara. As a part of our alliance, we're moving to intercept and supply aid. First, we're stopping by Tanzaku and grabbing Team Guy."

"Isn't Naruto S-rank?" Ino piped up, gesturing to the tall blonde they were racing with. "Between him, the Kazekage, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, and us; why do we need Guy's team?"

"Godaime-sama wants to be sure we can stop them. They work in pairs, that's two S-rank ninja that compliment each other and are used to working together." Kakashi said.

"One uses clay for explosions and the other uses poison puppets." Naruto shouted over the whipping wind as they dashed.

"Close Quarters techniques, if you're going to keep your distance then keep it with cover!" Asuma barked as all four Genin nodded. "Let's go, at our pace we'll make it to Tanzaku in an hour, Suna in a day!"

And so, it begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had briefly contemplated writing out the entire time skip, I decided not to.


	7. Reunions and Retribution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasori is the most underrated character in Naruto.

Naruto scratched his cheek as he watched the moon, the peace and serenity of the night washing over him. He'd been able to convince his team to let him take the full watch for tonight since he had Uzumaki energy and would feel fine.

His clones were all around and it had been maybe an hour since everyone went to bed. They'd ran all day and had stopped at the Kaze-River country border. He'd found out that the two Akatsuki hunters were going at a walk pace and were still a days pace from Suna and they could catch up to them rather easily if they rested tonight.

The blonde perked up and his eyes swiveled to the side as his smile became the largest it'd ever been. He made over a half dozen more wood clones before leaping off into the night, pressing chakra into a seal on his bicep as he leapt.

If a sensor had been looking, they would have just seen the biggest chakra reserves in the nations drop to those of a Chūnin. The blonde blitzed through the forest, not the fastest shinobi nor even close but clearly quite quick.

He dipped and swung around branches and leapt over rivers and ponds. He ran for maybe twenty minutes before coming to a stop at seemingly nothing, staring at a stone cliff-side. Naruto then walked into and through said cliff-side.

The blonde grinned as he came to the sight of torch lit hallways and dank steel. He pushed down the hall as he felt a familiar feeling of cool anger, like an iced blade. He came across a seemingly random Jōnin and quietly stepped around and behind him, sticking to the ceiling.

The blonde came to a stop in front of a seemingly random door at the end of the hall, lightly falling to the ground as he did so. Naruto opened the door carefully and came to the sight of a small room with a single cot and a single occupant.

"Tell him I'm resting." The girl said instantly, her voice more rough than he remembered it being and just so _her_. He grinned nearly savagely as he heard the words. "Go." She ordered, treating him as though he was trash with a voice of ice.

"Nah, I like where I am better."

He watched her flip in her bed, eyes widening at the sight of him and it made sense. The Naruto she'd known had been a tad taller than her and a bit scrawny. This one was built more like a shinobi and nearly taller than her door.

She scowled fiercely, throwing him off slightly.

"You can use wood release?" She hissed at him, full awake now as she rose from her bed. She was dressed in only a white shirt left open, white bindings wrapped around her breasts and black baggy pants.

"Those're the first words you say..." He muttered as she glared.

"And what am I supposed to say when I find out you can use the rarest bloodline in the world!" She snapped.

"Say that's cool and have hot sex?" He asked hopefully as she raised a single unimpressed brow that made him feel slightly stupid.

"Thinking with your balls and not your brain I see." She noted, standing just a bit taller than his shoulders.

"You're so tiny." He commented, bending down mockingly to be at her height. She kicked him across the face with ease, the blonde's head snapping to the side. "Ow." He muttered loosely, spitting out a tooth as hissing filled the room.

"Good." She replied as he stood back up.

"Note to self, you're still fast as hell." He flexed his jaw and showed the molar that had grown in.

"The only thing that height gives you is making you a bigger target." Satsuki said with a hip cock and crossed arms.

"Well, it makes it a lot easier to do this though." Naruto picked her up like she was made out of cotton and thrust her against the wall to where she was eye level with him. Despite the slight widening of her eyes, she did nothing.

He leaned forward only for a kunai to go to his neck. He blinked at the stinging sensation across his Adam's apple as he made eye contact with the Uchiha across from him.

"After they're dead. Then, we can rut however much we like." She said with a glare that looked far more menacing on her more mature face.

"Not even a little?" He pushed forward as steam began pushing from his neck.

"Naruto." She warned as she was forced to ease up slightly or he'd slit open his own neck. "I don't need any distractions right now, especially not-"

She was cut off by his lower body pushing forward and pinning her to the wall, his hands coming free to capture her own. The kunai clattered to the floor and he jerked forward, lips smashing into her own as he held her hands up and out of the way.

Both moaned lightly into the kiss as two years of passion poured into it, the blonde devouring her lips to the best of his ability as he hounded her. His hands slowly let go of her own and they fell over his shoulders, the sheer warmth he radiated affecting them both as they grew hot.

Her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands came up and into the wild mane of hair he had, gripping onto the blonde spikes. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and began trying to smother her own with his, exploring the wet cavern that tasted of fruit.

She nipped at his tongue and he withdrew it as the light taste of iron filled both their mouths, the two breaking apart as steam burst out like a bubble. They panted and he ducked his head for her neck only to get a hand in the mouth.

"I can't have any marks, that'll pose questions." He growled but acquiesced, kissing her palm and even sucking one of her fingers. "Are you in heat?" She asked, giving an abrupt moan as his hips gyrated forward.

"Nah, just missed you. A lot." He dipped forward once more, inhaling her lips as they both moaned. He leaned his forehead against hers, neither wearing headbands as their bare skin met. "God I wanna fuck you." She laughed at his words.

"Two and a half years and you haven't learned patience?" She asked breathlessly, giving him a coy look as he growled.

"I can be patient with anything but you." She hummed in clear skepticism as he nuzzled her, the two holding each other as she sighed in his neck.

"What are you even doing here?" He mumbled against her skin, light kisses along her neck as she yanked him by the hair, jerking his head back. "Naruto. No marks."

"I wasn't even gonna bite." He muttered in disappointment as she rose a brow. "We were in the area."

"We?"

"Me, Kakashi-sensei, Team Guy, and Team Asuma. We're heading to Suna and made camp not far away. You popped into my range and I darted over." She rolled her eyes.

"And what if I was training with Orochimaru?" She asked him.

"Then I'd butcher him and then we'd fuck." She smirks.

"You've said the word fuck more times tonight then I've heard you say the entire time I've known you. I must be a bad influence." He rumbled.

"A very bad one." He replied, Satsuki smirking down at him.

"And what happens to bad girls?" She asked with a sultry smile.

"Suki-chan..." He growled, practically slamming his pelvis into hers as both sighed in appreciation.

"You're right, we don't need you snapping." She said with a disappointed look on her face.

"Why can't we have like thirty minutes of awesome sex, I leave and no one's the wiser." She rolled her eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Because then a few minutes of innocent sex becomes slapping, moaning, biting, and screaming." He grinned foxily. "And if we're doing it, we're doing it right." She said with a poke to his chest.

"I guess that's fair."

"Besides, I don't need to be sore or else Orochimaru and Kabuto will be suspicious." He made a noise of rumbling deep in his throat.

"I'm decreasing your time limit." She rose a brow at him. "You've got two months now, not six."

"And what makes you think I'll listen?"

"Because I just put a type of tracker on you." She twitched. "Don't even bother, it's immune to the elements and detection."

"And you didn't ask?" She hissed as he shrugged.

"You've got two months, or I'm burning a warpath after you." Her face screwed up in fury as she glared at him.

"And why exactly are you doing that?"

"Because he needs a new body in three." He felt her thigh twitch in surprise as she quirked her mouth to the side. "Yeah, I'm not risking that at all."

"I've got it under control."

"I don't care." He grunted out, slamming her into the wall with a heavy thud as the girl arched against him with a hiss. "You kill the snake, kill your brother, come home." She scowled once more at being ordered around. He sagged against her with a sigh.

"Sorry." He muttered into her neck. "I'm just so scared. You're the only person I've ever cared this much about. I know you're strong but I can't risk losing you. I can't." He whispered harshly as her hand once more, tightened in his hair.

"I'll kill Orochimaru soon, then I'll kill Itachi. Then, I'm gonna kick your ass for trying to order me around." They both gave wry grins. "Then," She leant forward and gave him a surprisingly tender kiss. "We can fuck."

He snickered as he reached up and cupped her cheek, running the pad of his thumb over her soft skin over and over.

"How's it go? Distance makes the heart grow fonder?" He asked the girl humming as she leant into his palm. "I think I can stand another month or two." She hummed her agreement as she gave him a once-over.

"Did you train with giants?" She asked. "You're too damn tall."

"Feels good to pick you up and have you like this though." He growled lightly, thrusting their cores together as she moaned in appreciation and him in disappointment.

"Two months, you kept it in your pants for two and a half years you can do it for another two months."

"It'll be hard." He remarked. He jolted as she gripped him through his pants, giving him a coy smile as she rubbed him.

"Just like this?" Naruto growled lowly, lurching forward and thrusting against her ruthlessly. She moaned at the dry sex as one hand gripped his hair and the other rubbed. "Naruto, we can't!" She gasped in his ear.

"I don't care." He growled in her ear, sucking on the lobe as her soft pants and moans filled his ear. They lasted no time at all before Naruto grunted, jabbing the ball of his palm against her core. She gave a sharp moan into his shirt, biting the material as she came.

She gave shuddering gasps against him as he slowly ground against her.

"Congratulations." She panted out. "Now we're messy and still unsatisfied."

"I'll take what I can get." He rumbled against her skin. "Cuz I've gotta go now." He muttered, letting her down as she stretched.

"That's more than likely for the best." She sighed, rolling her neck to get out the kinks.

"Two months." He poked her in the nose as she rolled her eyes.

"I'll come back when he's dead, not a moment sooner." He hummed.

"You're so damn stubborn." He grumbled, scratching a hand through his shaggy hair.

"You know you love it." She said with a smug smirk. He shrugged, grinning like a loon as he dipped down to take her lips in his own.

"A bit." He murmured, the girl snorting as she rubbed the top of his head.

"Good boy." She said patronizingly, Naruto's face scrunching as she treated him like a dog.

"Alright, you made it easier." He stood to his full height as she rolled her eyes. "See ya soon, Suki-chan."

"See ya, idiot."

* * *

"I think we're on 'em." Naruto commented as they ran across the sand, a trail of matted down sand beside a trail of footprints through the sand.

"Those are fresh, they would've been gone by now if they were from yesterday." Asuma said. "Pick up the pace!"

"Yosh! Let's go, Lee!"

"Yosh, Guy-sensei!" The two green blurs surged ahead of the group as Naruto let out a deep laugh, picking up the pace to try and keep up with them as the group gained speed.

Naruto felt the slight tremor a moment too late as Kakashi forcefully pulled back Tenten, a salvo of senbon flying through where she would have been.

"Hm. I told that idiot he was far too noticeable." A deep, raspy voice rumbled as they turned to see a hunched over figure low to the sand. His appearance was dominated by a black cloak with red clouds and a straw hat with white ribbons.

Naruto felt momentary confusion until he felt the small beads he'd had on the two Akatsuki members pulsing beneath his feet in the sand. His eyes widened in alarm as his eyes shot up, a massive clay bird high in the sky as small projectiles began falling upon them.

"MOVE!"

Naruto wasn't sure it was him or Kakashi that yelled it as the group split apart, scattering in each direction as a cluster bomb went off where they'd been standing. The Uzumaki raised an arm to block against the sand and caught sight of a shining tail flying for him.

His eyes widened as he wasn't fast enough and thrust his arm out, sharp tendrils of wood shooting from his arm and intercepting the tail only to be sliced apart. It proved enough though and gave Naruto the time to move out of the way.

"A wood-style user, you will prove a valuable piece to my collection." The hunched figure then leapt to the side as a neon green figure slammed into where he'd been. "Hm, of course, I get the taijutsu users. Deidara, you fool. Do something!"

"Whaddya think I'm doing!" A higher-pitched voice exclaimed, a sprinkling of detailed clay falling down. "Katsu!" It grazed Neji as well as Chōji as they leapt from the smoke, singed slightly.

"Not enough!" The hunched man called. Naruto formed a half dozen wood clones as they formed a protective area around the original. "Very interesting, I look forward to the experiments you could contribute to."

"Nah, I ain't endin' up on some table."

"That is not up to you." The figure then leapt back once more as Lee crashed down on where he'd been standing, spitting out a barrage of needles that bounced off of Lee's leg warmer. The man got slammed in the side by Guy and was launched away.

"His skin is quite hard!" Guy shouted with a smile, his hand red and angry from where he'd punched the side.

"Stop getting in the way." The man rumbled, hat having flown off to reveal beady eyes and odd spiked hair. Lee flew forward once more as a small canister escaped from the man. "Fool."

A purple noxious gas emitted from the canister, encasing both Lee and the poison master in a cloud of smoke. Lee leapt out a moment later, choking and coughing as he flew away.

"Lee!" Guy flew to the aide of his student as the figure chittered. It turned rapidly, blocking a ground-shattering blow from Samehada with it's massive tail.

"Ah yes, you were the one who helped take down Kisame. I'd wondered what had happened to his weapon. And now, it will be mine." The man spun away from the strong swing and his tail darted for Naruto's exposed throat. It chopped off his head and splinters shattered.

The hunched man backpedaled as over a half dozen more of the clones came swinging, putting him on the back-foot as they swarmed him.

"Sasori of the Red Sands, you look very different to your Bingo book picture." The newly identified man continued to go backwards as the blonde spoke.

"Then you should be more than aware of what to expect when facing me." All six clones spontaneously burst into splinters, senbon needles falling to the ground in clumps. "You should know better than to use such tricks. Prove you deserve your rank, child."

"You asked for it." Naruto burst forward, coated in red corrosive chakra as he grinned savagely. He swung down Samehada with destructive force and once again, met the blocked form of Sasori's tail.

The blonde snapped out a thunderous kick, a vicious snap sounding as he stepped back. He saw Sasori's neck at an odd angle, clearly broken. He hefted Samehada onto his shoulder as he sighed.

_Schlik_

"Ah!"

Azure eyes widened in pain and shock, looking down to see the tail punched straight through his stomach and out his back, his own blood pouring along it's metallic shine.

"Just a child after all." The man said, his neck bending back with a crunch as beady eyes locked with sharp blue. Naruto coughed out a mouthful of blood, the red life fluid splattering against Sasori's face as the man stared up at the impaled teen.

Naruto coughed out another splattering of blood, red chakra bubbling along his skin as red eyes met beady black.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Naruto gripped the tail, blood marring his grin and making it look bestial. "GUY!"

"Dynamic Entry!" Guy roared, bringing a stomping thunder kick down on Sasori. The man's eyes widened and Naruto felt the blade jerk and his body felt on fire, blood oozing out of him as he collapsed to his knees.

With a crash of wood being destroyed, Sasori was bashed into splinters and left in cloaked tatters.

"Very impressive." A silky voice said as Naruto's head snapped to the wreckage of Sasori. A cloaked figure dashed out and jabbed four senbon into Guy's arm, being snap kicked away from the man as he pulled the needles out. "However, it was not enough."

Naruto gave a roar, Guy staggering beside Lee who now lay sweaty and woozy. A wood clone came over and counted down with his fingers. Naruto took two deep breaths and as he ran out of fingers, the two jerked the massive blade out of Naruto's gut.

He screamed in pain as Kakashi landed beside them, his one eye staring wide at the three of them collapsed on the sands and an unharmed redhead across from them.

"It would seem Deidara is pulling his weight after all." The redhead ran a hand through soft locks as he watched Deidara hold off team Asuma and half of team Guy. "A Sarutobi, Hatake Kakashi, and Uzumaki Naruto. What a lucky day."

"As if, you'll get away with it!" Naruto roared, his entire form steaming as red chakra bubbled around him.

"Oh? The regeneration Leader-sama had warned us about, quite astounding." The man's eyes showed with blatant interest as he withdrew a scroll. "Very well, you've proven yourself worthy of seeing my master piece. Perhaps after this, you'll be able to join him in versatility."

"Kakashi-sensei, get Guy-sensei and Lee to Suna." Kakashi squared himself.

"As though I'll leave you alone against him."

"They're gonna die, Chiyo-san is the closest person with the antidote."

"Oh? Your repertoire of information is impressive, perhaps we could compare notes before I turn you into a puppet."

"Just go, Kakashi-sensei! I've got this, I promise." The man looked very conflicted before sighing, flipping down his headband as he made a shadow clone.

"Be careful, Naruto." The man then leapt away into the dunes, disappearing under clouds of dust as he ran for Suna.

"How touching, playing yourself as a sacrificial lamb to save your teacher." The redhead said dispassionately, the scroll unfurling in his hand as he spoke. "Take an old man's advice, you should sever such bonds; they turn their backs on you sooner or later."

"Why would I wanna take the advice of a dead man?" Naruto asked, forming a barrage of wood clones from his body as they stood to the side.

"Hm, and why would I give advice to a child whose impertinence won't allow him to listen?" The man's scroll exploded outwards with a puff of smoke and Naruto came to the sight of a towering figure in a brown cloak with blue hair and striking orange eyes. "Feel honored, you're one of few to witness the Sandaime Kazekage's power."

"Yeah, and you're the first to see my wood-style in action. Guess we're both blessed." The redhead gave a quick laugh, the Kazekage floating high beside him.

"Well? Show me the strength of the strongest bloodline."

Naruto made a hand sign and all of the wood clones melded as the Kazekage surged forward, iron sand exploding from him. The freshly grown tree made from the wood of the clones exploded in a sea of branches, limbs lurching for the puppet at high speeds.

The massive figure swerved around each tendril with ease, flying through the air by small blue wires as it flew for Naruto with a spear of iron sand. The blonde grinned and leapt over the sand just in time, landing behind the Kazekage and swiping Samehada through the air behind it.

And like a puppet with it's strings cut, it fell to the ground lifelessly.

"Hm, I knew that was going to be an issue." Sasori commented, frowning at the immobilization of the Kazekage. "Very well, I suppose I can adjust."

The redhead leapt back as more tendrils exploded where he was stood. Naruto ran through a string of hand signs as the tendrils snapped back into the tree.

**"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"**

Massive thick roots sprouted from the now large tree beside Naruto, digging under the sand and sprouting around, webbing out like a massive trap. Hundreds of feet around them was littered with thick roots along the sand and then, it happened.

The roots exploded in showers of splinters, massive trunks sprouting from the roots and thick branches emerging around them and forming from saplings to young trees. These trees then kept growing and growing, soon looming high and immersing the entire area in shade.

The ground around them tore and ruptured, sand flying as wood brokered out and spread as though it were sentient. The two were now in a cage of over two dozen trees, taller than buildings and greener than grass itself.

"Quite the sight." Sasori said flatly, staring around him as he was now practically encaged in trees.

"That's what made Konoha-ttebayo." Naruto grinned with arms crossed, clones sprouting from the tress and standing on the branches around them. "You're in my environment now."

"It is a good thing I brought my own surprises then."

The man then threw off his cloak, revealing a morbid sight.

The man had no stomach, a spool of cable replacing it along with seams where joints should be to allow movement. The only blemish on his porcelain skin was the round shape on his left pectoral, red kanji over it.

"I have not used this form in quite some time, you are proving to be quite the worthy specimen." He detached a scroll from his back and unfurled it, the kanji for 'fire' on it. "Let us see the strength of your wood."

An explosion of fire blew from the scroll, a tidal wave of rolling flames similar to lava as it spilled out as though it were a liquid. It latched onto the wood of his trees and began setting them aflame. Naruto leapt forward, standing in the middle of the stream and brandishing Samehada.

The flames tried to part but found themselves unable and bounced off of her scales, shooting back at Sasori who dropped the scroll and flew away. Naruto destroyed the scroll as the many flames began to dim under the feet of his many clones.

Two clones attempted to stab Sasori through the back from the trunk he was standing in front of. Instead, two poles with massive fans of blades snapped out and beheaded the clones instantaneously.

"I look forward to running tests on this small forest, I wonder how long it can last without your aide in Suna's desert." The man commented, hands sweeping out. "I believe this will be a better test of it's limits."

Pipes on his hands emerged, beginning to spit out massive columns of roaring flames. They stuck and clung to the trees, burning clones to cinders as they dispelled, setting bark alight and leaves to smoke.

A thick ash began to fall as smoke filled the air, Sasori spinning as he spewed flames out all around them.

Wood tendrils snapped up from the ground and cinched around his wrists, pinning them down as Sasori cut off the flames, turning to see Naruto kneeling while holding a hand sign.

The blades on Sasori's back cut the tendrils to ribbons as he flew high, his coil of cable extending and holding him up and off the ground.

"Very well, if that is how you wish to play it." The man said, a thick mist entering the air as it emanated from Naruto. It snuffed out any remaining flames and blanketed over the ash and smoke, matting down and bringing it out of the air.

Naruto stood straight as the vision obscurities ceased and it was only him and Sasori, clones littering the tree line. Sasori unfurled another scroll, an intense sealing matrix on it's cover.

"Beware, this technique has toppled nations; this will be your end." Puppets began flying from the scroll, all in different shapes and sizes as they surged into the air.

"ATTACK PATTERN C!" Naruto called, the massive army of puppets sitting suspended high in the air. Naruto unsealed a fuma shuriken and cocked it back, rocketing it at the hundred puppets as his clones did the same. The puppets began coursing through the air, spinning and twisting.

The over three dozen fuma shuriken then became over three hundred, each wood clone using the same technique as Sasori's eyes widened in fascination and intrigue. A small compartment on Sasori's right pectoral popped open, revealing each chakra string that was connected to a single mechanism.

"You are so very interesting, Uzumaki Naruto." The puppets then began flying around like flies in the air as they did their best to swerve and avoid. Several took a shuriken to the side or had one cleave through a limb but none fell. "Now, watch."

A loud explosion made them shake, a cloud of smoke rising through the treeline as Naruto felt worry for his comrades.

"Never turn your back on an enemy." Naruto turned just in time to block a poisoned blade from the Sandaime puppet, once more alive. "Has the curriculum dropped so much they no longer teach the basics?"

Naruto shoved the puppet off and swung Samehada to the side, bashing a random puppet into pieces. The puppet became over a dozen individual blades that rocketed for Naruto only to slam into a wall of wood.

"As if you're gonna beat me with wooden puppets!" Naruto roared, him and each of his clones forming a hand sign as thick chakra entered the air. Like flies, the puppets began falling out of the air as they sprouted saplings, littering the ground with bits of small trees and roots.

Naruto fell over, panting heavily as all the puppets fell out of the sky like an odd art, becoming plants and flowers along the ground.

"Hm, I know when I'm beat." The Kazekage flew into the Sandaime's scroll, it being a human puppet keeping it from transmorphing. "I will have you one day, Uzumaki Naruto."

And then, as though they didn't mean anything, the redhead leapt straight up. He swerved around tendrils of wood masterfully as his blades acted as a form of propulsion. Naruto leapt through the foliage, heaving and puffing as he escaped the small forest.

Sasori landed on top of a massive clay bird high in the sky, Deidara having a small short sword in the arm courtesy of Tenten.

"My art'll leave a good impression, yeah!" The bomb master held a blob of clay the size of a rucksack, dropping it from the massive bird as Naruto's eyes widened.

"RUN FOR THE FOREST!" Shikamaru shouted, running the best he could with half his clothing burnt off and his skin an angry pink. The six other people burst into the forest as Naruto made a string of hand signs, the clay enlarging massively as it showed the appearance of an odd doll.

Naruto landed beside the penta of people as his clones landed around them, ending his hand signs as he took a deep breath.

**"Wood Release:** **HŌBI** **!"**

A dragon face of wood formed over them, the front beginning to seal shut as a golden explosion filled the sky. The wood groaned and the ground shook as the explosion knocked some of them off their feet, Naruto sweating in exertion as the wood began to glow with heat.

He began to roar as wood shot out of the ground around him, melding into the shield and enforcing it's defensive strength. The blonde's teeth grit as the feeling of being compressed hit him, the feeling strong on his wood as his chakra felt like it was being squeezed.

He gave a gasp of pain and lurched forward onto his face, taking deep shuddering breaths as the explosion subsided, the hex of people alone in the darkness of the protective barrier.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru jerked forward, flipping the blonde onto his back as Naruto heaved and huffed. The wood creaked open, the darkness of the sky alarming as they looked out.

Everything was darkened in ash or fire, the forest completely destroyed into timber as fires roared around them. The sky had a dark cloud in it that blocked out the sun and the ground around them was scorched black and the glimmer of glass was visible in some areas.

"Damn, boss overdid it." Three wood clones were all that remained, forcing the barrier open as they crouched over Naruto. "Welp, I guess we won."

Naruto was now steaming, heat radiating off of him in waves as Naruto groaned and moaned in pain.

"What's the matter with him?" Asuma's voice was grave as the clones frowned.

"Severe chakra exhaustion, he burst our reserves like a balloon." Chōji made a strangled noise at the words as one of the clones nodded. "Back up. This won't be pretty." The clones stepped back and the others followed suit as Naruto began to morph.

His mouth opened in a soundless scream, steam pouring out of his mouth as demonic chakra poured off him roves. His clawed fingers came up and began choking himself at the pain and feeling of lava rolling in his throat. The clones snapped forward, pinning his arms to the side as the blonde thrashed violently.

"Asuma-sensei?" Ino asked shakily, the malice and palpable chakra in the air rolling around.

"Our profession is not a pretty one. You can't put the strongest demon in existence in a kid and expect everything to be flowers and sunshine." The man rumbled, lighting a cigarette as he watched, nearly unfazed.

"But... what's happening?" She asked breathlessly, her breathing strained under the oppressive feeling of his chakra.

"Hōbi is our strongest defense, it costs more chakra than any of you have though. And combine that with the nativity, all the clones, fighting Sasori, he used up everything. We have the best regeneration around, doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt though."

"So, the Kyūbi is remaking your reserves." The clone hummed in response, the real Naruto's thrashing subsiding slightly. Asuma took a deep drag as he watched.

"Well, least we can do is be here for the guy who just saved our lives."

* * *

Kakashi stared at the prone form of his oldest friend, the man's usual brightness gone and leaving him with an odd look of neutrality in his forced sleep.

"They'll be fine, little White Fang." A raspy voice barked, glaring at him from across the room. She was right, she'd been able to neutralize all the poison with the antidote nearly as soon as he brought them in.

And abandoned his sole student...

His fist clenched in a mixture of frustration and self-loathing at leaving his last student. A muttering in the hall drew his eye as he turned from his comatose friend. The door banged open and revealed both Chōji and Asuma carrying Naruto by the soldiers, the blonde barely awake.

"Set him down there." Chiyo ordered, the two walking the teen over to the table and laying him down on it. The teen grunted and groaned as he laid there while the short woman made her way to him.

"Don't bother, Granny." The woman turned her head to the identical blonde beside her, the clone watching the original. "We're already healed, just in pain."

"Report." Kakashi said, face terse as he stared at the copy of his sole student.

"Not much to report, Sasori was real tough and is apparently a puppet." A widening of the eyes was visible from Chiyo. "He modified the hell out of himself and is a walking weapon, we destroyed near all of his puppets before he retreated. Also, he has the Sandaime Kazekage as his puppet."

"I had thought..." The grandmother of the criminal trailed off with a deep frown.

"He fell back and his partner covered their retreat with an explosion that vaporized everything around us. Boss wore himself out using our strongest defense and destroyed our chakra reserves. They got patched up and now he's just going through the pain."

"It shouldn't be possible to heal burst reserves." Chiyo said with narrowed eyes.

"I shouldn't be able to do a lot of stuff." Naruto said with a shrug. The clone slipped Samehada off from over his shoulder and leant her against the table, the sentient blade making a low warble.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The tall blonde turned, the redhead in the doorway apparent as well as the shapes of his brother and sister behind him.

"Yo, Gaara." The young Kage entered, looking at the blonde on the table who was giving light groans and moans. "That's the real me."

"What happened?"

"Akatsuki came for you." Teal eyes snapped up. "We intercepted. We drove 'em off but Boss got the worst of it. He's fine now but it'll take a day or so to get acquitted and all that."

"Acquitted to what, exactly?" Temari asked, staring at her fellow blonde with furrowed brows.

"The chakra exhaustion."

"I didn't even think you could get that." Gaara remarked, moving to stand beside the table.

"It just takes a lot." Gaara made a low hum at the words, looking at the blonde in pain before him.

"I'll make sure you're treated well." The clone gave a lazed shrug.

"Thanks, it's just a bit of a process to be honest." The redhead looked to the clone, the tall blonde scratching his chin at the sight of himself.

"Has this happened before?" The clone nodded.

"We tested our limits a few months back, not long before coming to you actually." Gaara nodded slowly before sliding his gaze to the elder of the room.

"There's no reason for the boy to be fine, but he will be." The aged woman muttered, squinting at the prone Naruto.

"Come, Naruto. I need a report. If you could come too, Hatake-san, Sarutobi-san, Guy-san." The trio nodded, noticing the quietness of their own students.

The penta of people took to the hall, Gaara giving the occasional nod as they made their way through the hospital.

"Man, I hate Suna." Naruto grumbled, the Kazekage sparing the blonde a glance at his words. "Just the sand, you're great Gaara."

"Ah, so you just hate the place that I manage and not me. Wonderous." The redhead drawled, the blonde shrugging at his words.

"I can't make trees in the sand, it severely cramps my style. I can barely even sense in all this sand, no dirt, roots, grass, nothing."

"That explains the Shodaime Hokage's insistence on sanctioning off the entirety of this desert as Kaze no Kuni." Gaara commented, Naruto giving a hum.

"Yeah, probably. Probably also why he never tried to mess with Shukaku." Gaara nodded once, not entirely used to someone else referring to the creature by it's given name.

"So, the Akatsuki?" The Kage asked, sliding behind his desk as the trio eased themselves into the office.

Naruto slumped into the chair before him, Kakashi doing the same in the other chair while Asuma lit a cigarette.

"Not much to tell really. I had a beacon on them, they tried to come for you, we intercepted. But, we didn't get either of them in the end." The blonde scowled at his own words, Gaara steepling his fingers as he listened.

"And who, did they send?"

"Sasori of the Red Sands and Deidara of the Bakuton." Naruto quirked a brow at Kakashi. "What, I know things too you know. It's still some time before you surpass me."

"Sure thing Sensei." Naruto returned, the silver-haired man giving a taunting smile.

"Sasori of the Red Sands? The Puppet Master?" Naruto nodded.

"Though, he needs some new puppets now." Gaara frowned at the information, leaning back in his chair. "Oh, by the way, he's got the Sandaime Kazekage. Figured you'd wanna know."

"He 'has' him?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, as a puppet. Real annoying too, that whole sand thing is such a pain." Gaara seemed to take the information with a grain of salt but it was only natural for the Kage to not show his emotions so openly.

"Is there... anything else on the same level as the defilement of my predecessors?" The redhead asked slowly, a certain sharpness to his voice that the others did not fail to note.

A long silence followed with Naruto drumming his fingers in his lap and the two Jōnin exchanging a few glances.

"Well," Kakashi remarked, shifting his stance to lean on his backfoot. "With their failure, Akatsuki will undoubtedly put far more effort into your capture now that they know of their first defeat."

"One should not test the deserts." Gaara rumbled, the very sandstone walls around them shifting ever so slightly and Naruto gave a sheepish chuckle as Gaara's eyes darkened at the thought of the Akatsuki.

"Ya know, you're kinda scary sometimes?" Naruto asked with a sheepish smile as Gaara's eyes met his seafoam seemingly sharper than ever as he met Naruto's stare.

"Sometimes?"


End file.
